Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday announced that the state has secured a major victory against Big Tech following a historic multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.
The comprehensive agreement resolves multi-year allegations that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram features to drive compulsive use among children and teens, to the detriment of their mental health and safety. The resolution brings more than $500 million to New Jersey to support ongoing youth mental health initiatives and consumer protection enforcement.
The settlement—part of a massive nationwide agreement involving a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general—places sweeping restrictions on social media architecture. Under the terms, Meta agreed to institute groundbreaking safety protections, including default daily time limits for minor users, overnight blocks, disabled interaction metrics (like likes) for teens, and restrictions on harmful algorithmic feeds and image filters.
Sherrill emphasized the personal significance of the policy shift, noting the unique pressures modern parents face:
“Today’s settlement is a major victory for New Jersey families,” she said. “Big Tech is finally being held accountable for the harm it is causing, especially to our children’s mental health and safety. More important, parents and teens will finally get some relief, including groundbreaking new safety features to protect kids online.”
The settlement arrives on the heels of major legislative action in the Garden State. Last month, Sherrill signed comprehensive state legislation designed to enforce strict privacy-by-default and safety-by-design standards, limiting algorithmic content delivery to minors and restricting notification pushes during school and sleeping hours.
State officials stressed that the financial recovery and operational reforms secured through the Meta settlement will bolster these ongoing protections.
“The lawsuit our Attorney General helped lead against Meta is another big step in ending the addiction that the technology companies are pushing on kids for profit,” Sherrill added. “And it will bring more than $500 million to New Jersey to continue the fight.”
The historic agreement is subject to final court approval, with state litigation teams and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General overseeing compliance and the allocation of incoming state recovery funds.
