PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota has received its first $9 million payment from a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Attorney General Marty Jackley announced Monday.
The state is expected to receive $52 million over the next 10 years. That amount could increase to $73.5 million if certain conditions are met.
“This settlement established a national standard to protect our youth on social media and to empower parents,” Jackley said. “Our elected Legislature now has this opportunity to put these funds to work in the way it feels will best serve South Dakota, and I urge it to focus on improving and strengthening education in South Dakota for the future of our state.”
South Dakota’s share will be deposited into the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Fund until the Legislature decides how to allocate the money.
The settlement resolves claims brought by South Dakota and dozens of other states and territories. The agreement followed a federal trial in Oakland, California, where 29 states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, sued Meta in 2023. The lawsuit alleged that the company designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to children and teens and misled the public about the potential harm.
The trial was expected to include testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg but ended early after the settlement was reached. The deal also resolves claims that Meta improperly shared users’ nonpublic information with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica.
Under the agreement, Meta must implement safety features on Instagram and Facebook aimed at protecting children and teens. The measures include:
- A combined two-hour daily time limit across both platforms for children, with required breaks after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes. The limits will remain in place for five years. They could be reduced to 60 minutes per platform for 10 years if Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube agree to similar terms.
- Overnight restrictions blocking children’s access from midnight to 6 a.m.
- No push notifications for children on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year.
- Stronger age verification and age-appropriate content controls, including additional safeguards against bullying and content related to eating disorders, suicide and self-harm.
- Easier-to-use parental controls.
- Restrictions on features associated with potential mental health concerns for young users, including beauty filters and visible like counts.
Meta reported $201 billion in revenue in 2025, making the $17.1 billion settlement a fraction of its annual revenue. The agreement ranks among the largest state consumer protection settlements in U.S. history outside the tobacco settlements of the 1990s.
TikTok and Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, were also named in the lawsuit but reached settlements before the case went to trial.
