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by ERIN PARROTT
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South Carolina is set to receive nearly $247 million as part of a massive multi-state settlement with social media giant Meta Platforms, Inc. over allegations the company knowingly designed its platforms to addict young users – and exposed children to serious mental health harms in the process.
S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson announced the state’s portion of the $17.1 billion settlement on Wednesday (August 26, 2026), calling it one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in American history outside of the Big Tobacco agreements of the 1990s.
Under the agreement, South Carolina will receive $246,976,186.
The settlement involves 47 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. In addition to the multibillion-dollar payment, Meta must make sweeping changes to Instagram and Facebook aimed at limiting children’s use of the platforms.
“As a dad to two teenagers who’ve grown up in the digital age, protecting children from Big Tech is personal to me,” Wilson said. “This settlement doesn’t undo the damage that has been caused, but it’s a strong step in preventing the harms caused by social media to future generations of young people.”
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NEW RESTRICTIONS…
Among the most significant changes is a combined two-hour daily time limit for children using Instagram and Facebook.
Young users will also encounter mandatory “productive pauses” after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at the 60- and 90-minute marks – restrictions intended to interrupt prolonged scrolling. Those limits will remain in effect for five years. If other major platforms – including Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube – adopt comparable restrictions, the limit would drop to 60 minutes per platform for ten years.
Meta must also block children’s access to Instagram and Facebook between midnight and 6:00 a.m. During the school year, push notifications will be eliminated for children between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on weekdays.
The agreement also requires stronger age-verification measures, expanded parental controls and additional safeguards intended to prevent young users from being exposed to bullying and content promoting eating disorders, suicide or self-harm.
Meta must also limit certain “social comparison” features – including beauty filters and visible “like” counts – that attorneys general say have been linked to negative mental health outcomes among children and teenagers.
An independent auditor and the participating states will regularly assess both the implementation and effectiveness of the new protections.
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YEARS-LONG INVESTIGATION…
The settlement follows a nationwide investigation launched in 2021 as attorneys general across the country examined how social media companies designed and marketed their platforms to children and teenagers.
According to Wilson’s office, the investigation found Meta designed Instagram features intended to keep children engaged while the company internally documented mental health harms associated with the platform.
Attorneys general subsequently sued Meta individually or joined consolidated federal litigation accusing the company of misleading parents and the public about the safety of its products.
The settlement resolves those cases along with claims related to Meta’s sharing of nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties – including Cambridge Analytica – ahead of the 2016 election.
Wilson acknowledged the broader concerns surrounding social media extend beyond Meta, but credited the company with becoming the first major platform to reach a comprehensive agreement with states over youth safety.
“Advancements in technology, like social media, connect the world but also come with huge responsibility,” Wilson said, noting the changes agreed to by Meta reflect that responsibility.
The settlement could also establish a blueprint for how other social media companies are expected to address children’s use of their platforms – potentially extending the impact of the agreement far beyond Instagram and Facebook.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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