South Dakota is receiving at least $52 million as part of a multi-state settlement with Meta over claims that Facebook and Instagram knowingly harmed children and teen users. The several-million-dollar sum going to South Dakota is part of a $17.1 billion settlement involving attorneys general from 46 other states.
But a settlement won’t protect your child. You have to know what’s happening and what you can do about it. On September 12, South Dakota families will have the chance to hear directly from experts on how technology is reshaping childhood and learn practical steps to protect kids online.
Holding Big Tech Accountable for Harm to Children
What began as a tool for connection has been weaponized by Big Tech, acting on greed at the cost of our kids’ lives. It’s been assumed for years that addictive products have been designed and pushed by social media platforms and now it’s for certain: kids have been targeted and trapped online more than any other generation and lead to danger, predatory exploitation, and self-harm.
We’ve seen this before with Big Tobacco: hook them young, deny the damage, and do only what you’re forced to do.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley was one of many attorneys general to involve their state in the case. “Today’s historic settlement marks a significant milestone in our efforts to protect children online,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We have secured a record monetary award and meaningful safeguards for children and parents setting the new national online standard.”
The settlement is contingent on the approval of the agreement by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California which is hearing a lawsuit filed against Meta by South Dakota and 28 other states.
Washington refused to acknowledge the harms happening to children across America, and we are thankful that South Dakota did not.
New Safeguards Aim to Protect Kids Online
Under this settlement, Meta will be required to impose court-enforceable teen safety defaults on Instagram and Facebook for 10 years. This includes a nightly 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. teen lockout from the apps where access to feeds, reels, stories, and the explore page is blocked for users under 18.
There will also be a daily time cap where total usage is limited to two hours per day across both platforms by default. Along with the time cap, apps will force structured “productive pauses” after 15 minutes of uninterrupted, continuous scrolling. Subsequent interruptions will trigger at the 60-minute and 90-minute marks to break the scrolling trance.
Push notifications will be muted during school hours to reduce daytime distractions, and other safety measures will be required for Meta to enforce, such as:
- Hide the “like” counts it built to keep them hooked
- Block certain beauty filters
- Have a chronological non-personalized feed option
- More age-appropriate content controls and stronger, more user-friendly parental controls
- Open its books to an independent monitor for ten years
Though Meta agreed to the settlement, it has not admitted wrongdoing
The Fight for Accountability Isn’t Over
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, still has not answered for what his company did. Meta settled the case the week before Zuckerberg was to take the stand. He wrote a check rather than answer, under oath, for what Meta knew about the harm to our kids and hid from parents. For as long as he is allowed to, he will keep avoiding accountability. The Senate Judiciary Committee invited Zuckerberg to address the committee on kids’ online harms. If he won’t, Congress should subpoena him and put him under oath.
This is the beginning, not the end, of our fight for accountability. This settlement binds only one company. South Dakota kids were not harmed by just one platform, and this problem will not be solved with just one settlement. We need Congress to act. Currently, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) advanced through the Senate and is headed to a floor vote.
KOSA has the strongest protections to date, including a real, enforceable duty of care.
Though states including South Dakota are receiving a settlement, the fight continues to protect kids online. Meta has not admitted any sort of wrongdoing on their end, so there’s no signs that they’ll implement safeguards beyond what is required of them.
Protecting South Dakota Kids Starts With Families and Communities
South Dakotans must continue to be vigilant in protecting children and teens online, and we would love to equip you to do so. Join us September 12 at The Social Sioux Falls from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to hear from several guest speakers with great expertise in the field of technology use. You’ll learn how digital technology is transforming childhood, and what families and policymakers can do about it! We’d love for you to join us.
