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Back in 2023, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined a lawsuit with dozens of other states to sue Meta for harming youth.
The states alleged that the company, helmed by Mark Zuckerberg, intentionally designed addictive features on Facebook and Instagram.
Last week, Meta agreed to pay $17 billion and enact changes to make the platforms safer for kids. Arizona will receive about $223 million from that settlement.
“One day, we’ll look back on today as the beginning of the end of the ‘bad old days,’ when children had unfettered access to products designed to addict them and expose them to serious mental harm,” Mayes said in a press release.
I asked what you all thought of the settlement, and here’s what you said:
💬 “Where does the money go from this settlement? Are [Meta]/Facebook users in Arizona getting checks from this?” — Katharine B.
Editor’s note: States get to decide how to allocate the money they receive in the settlement. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has said she wants the bulk of Arizona’s portion to go toward mental health counseling in public schools.
💬 “Hoping Attorney General Mayes earmarks some of that settlement money for mental health services for those under 18.” — Julie C.
💬 “I think all the social platform should be paying even more. Those companies should be run out of business entirely. They serve NO useful purpose and they deliberately damaged children for profit. How is this any different than Epstein and his customers?” — Les R.
💬 “Mark Zuckerberg should get sued and my biggest concern is all the pornography on Facebook. No one is monitoring any of it I’ve also come across child porn. I’m to the point of reporting to the local authorities and then to the FBI. No one is addressing that part of Facebook. If our children are on Facebook then they’re also accessing porn.” — Holly Z.
