Illinois will receive up to $768 million from a settlement paid by Meta to resolve a lawsuit over Meta’s effect on teen social media addition. Under the settlement agreement, settlement funds must be used for remedial purposes, which could include grants to school districts or other local government entities. School districts may wish to explore their eligibility for grants in accordance with the settlement agreement
Brought by multiple state attorney generals, the lawsuit against Meta alleged that Meta’s social media platforms included addictive features such as infinite scroll and autoplay even though Meta’s internal research showed such features could harm teens. Shortly before trial, the parties reached a settlement agreement. In addition to agreeing to strengthen its age verification and impose limits on teen users, Meta will pay up to approximately $17.1 billion to the affected states, of which Illinois will receive up to approximately $768 million. The Illinois portion must be used to help remediate teen social media addiction. Although the Attorney General’s Office has stated that the State of Illinois intends to spend its portion of the settlement amount on mitigating social media harms, youth mental health, and online safety programs, the settlement agreement permits using the settlement amount for grants to school districts or other local government entities.
Meta still faces multiple other legal challenges. Amongst the pending litigation, several school districts have filed suit against Meta. One school district’s lawsuit raising similar allegations against Meta is scheduled to go to trial in January 2027.
Teen social media addiction affects many school districts. The Meta settlement agreement contemplates that schools may need assistance with and have ideas to help resolve the problem. School districts may wish to explore with legal counsel their eligibility for grants to help address the problem of teen social media addiction.
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