Meta, the tech giant formerly known simply as Facebook, will pay upward of $17.1 billion in settlement funds to the 29 states that jointly sued the corporation back in 2023, per CBS. The suit was levied because of Meta’s disregard for the mental health of its young users. The payments will be made over the coming years. Mary Cunningham reports,

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among the 29 states that first filed suit against Meta in 2023, alleging that the technology giant used its social media platforms to “entice, engage and ultimately ensnare” young internet users. States accused Meta of deliberately designing its platforms to be addictive and of misleading users and the public about the risks. –Meta settles social media addiction suit with states for up to $17.1 billion – CBS News

Leaders like NYU professor and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt have been warning the public of social media’s dangerous algorithmic power over young people for years now. Kids’ brains are not fully developed when they encounter TikTok, Instagram, and so forth, and are thus highly susceptible to addictive online content. His advocacy for change turned policy-making heads when he released his seminal work, The Anxious Generation, with governors across the country promoting the book in rare bipartisan fashion.

The news also comes in the wake of the promotion of a new film, The Social Reckoning, a sort of sequel to the 2010 movie The Social Network starring Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. It will be interesting to see what the film focuses on and the feedback it will get from the public (along with the reaction from the Meta leadership, too). We are witnessing a remarkable demonstration of resolve and determination from the general public who have witnessed, firsthand in their own kids, the evident damage done to the upcoming generation.