Ohio to receive more than $300 million in Meta settlement over child safety claims

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced that Ohio will receive $319 million from Meta over the next decade as part of a “historic” $17 billion multi-state settlement (Source: “Ohio to get over $300M as part of ‘historic’ mega Meta settlement,” Dayton Daily News, Aug. 26).
 
In a press release Wednesday, Wilson’s office called it the largest big-tech settlement in history. The settlement stemmed from the claim that Meta designed its social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to intentionally hook young users while exposing them to harm and intentionally misleading the public about the safety of its platforms.
 
Aside from the financial settlement, Meta agreed to enact new safety measures for children under the age of 18 that the AG’s office said marks “groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook that are more significant and comprehensive than any previously ordered by a court or agreed to by a social media company.”
 
Last year, HPIO released a brief titled “Factors Contributing to Child and Youth Mental Health Struggles” that highlighted smart phones and social media as one of three important contributing factors to child mental health challenges. The brief is the second in a series of four HPIO publications on child and youth mental health.