(KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has reached a $17 billion settlement with 47 states, including Iowa, over lawsuits alleging the company’s platforms were harming children.
Iowa will receive $126.4 million over the next decade. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird sued Meta in April, accusing the company of violating Iowa’s consumer-protection laws by designing apps that keep minors addicted to social media.
The settlement ends a trial in California where four other states argued Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to keep teens online for hours and collected data from children under 13 without parental consent. Bird says the national settlement includes a midnight-to-6 a.m. block on teen usage and simplified parental-control settings.
Bird says the changes are a win for kids and families.
Meta also agreed to a two-hour daily time limit for teens and periodic “hard stops” to prevent endless scrolling. Bird says part of Iowa’s settlement money will be used to audit Meta’s compliance and to fund counseling for kids diagnosed with mental-health issues tied to social-media use.
In a separate agreement, Meta will pay Iowa an additional $9 million to settle claims it shared Facebook user information with third parties, including political consultants.
Iowa’s lawsuit against TikTok is scheduled for trial next year. The state has also sued the online gaming platform Roblox.
