New Jersey will receive at least $525 million from Meta Platforms, Inc. in a multistate social media settlement. The agreement resolves state claims involving Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta.
A multistate settlement is a legal agreement between many states and one company. New Jersey co-led the nationwide Meta investigation since 2021 alongside California, Colorado and Kentucky. Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the deal on Aug. 26, 2026, as described in the Attorney General's announcement.
Official resources:
- Read the official notice from Njoag — Use this primary source to verify the official announcement.
- Read the official guidance from Nj — Use this primary source to verify the official guidance.
Table of Contents
- What did the states accuse Meta of doing?
- How much will New Jersey receive?
- What changes for teens and parents?
- Is the settlement final?
What did the states accuse Meta of doing?
The states claimed Meta knowingly designed Facebook and Instagram with addictive features. They said those features exposed children and teens to serious mental-health risks.
They also said Meta misled young users, families and the public about platform safety. Meta has denied the allegations. Reporting notes the settlement resolves participating states' claims without Meta admitting wrongdoing.
How much will New Jersey receive?
The New Jersey Globe reports New Jersey will receive at least $525 million and could receive more than $752 million in its New Jersey settlement report. The higher amount depends on the final structure of the wider state agreement. The wider deal is valued at up to $17.1 billion. Meta must pay states $12.19 billion over 10 years, rising to $17.1 billion only if TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat agree to comparable safety and monetary terms in related state actions.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said more than $500 million will come to New Jersey to continue fighting tech-driven youth addiction. This is state-level recovery, not an individual payment program. The announced terms describe funds paid to New Jersey and other states. They do not describe checks for individual Facebook or Instagram users.
What changes for teens and parents?
The settlement requires default youth safeguards on Facebook and Instagram. NPR coverage of the settlement describes those safeguards in its child-safety settlement coverage. They apply to users under 18.
The announced defaults include: For families, the practical effect is less late-night and school-time use by default. Parents would get more control tools and stronger age checks. Teens would face automatic time, nighttime and notification limits unless a parent changes an allowed setting.
- a combined two-hour daily limit for under-18 users
- a midnight-to-6 a.m. block
- muted notifications during school hours
- stronger parental controls and age-assurance measures
Is the settlement final?
No. The agreement remains subject to court approval by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District of California.
The Connecticut Attorney General's office states that approval requirement in its settlement announcement. That means no payments or platform reforms are final until the court approves. Consumers should watch for the approval order, the payment schedule for states and the rollout dates for the youth-safety defaults.
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