Meta settles with US states over social media harms

The claims are part of a broader wave of litigation brought by states, local governments, school districts and individuals alleging Meta and other social media companies fueled a nationwide youth mental health crisis.

The federal trial covered claims from the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey that Meta violated their state laws protecting consumers.

The trial also covered claims from 29 states that Meta violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data from users it knew were children without parental notification or consent, and using the data to train machine learning and generative AI models.

Meta has denied the allegations, saying it has worked hard to protect children on its platforms. The company had argued it could not have misled consumers about whether its services were addictive because "social media addiction" is not a recognized psychiatric condition.