Former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore, who took on Big Tobacco in the 1990s, is now working on language for a master settlement with social media companies. This week, Meta agreed to pay about $17 billion as part of a settlement with a coalition of state AGs, who accused the company of knowingly creating addictive features for kids and teens. "The settlement with the states is a great first step in helping protect our children from the dangers on social media," Moore said in his first public comments about the litigation.
Moore, a central figure who helped negotiate the blockbuster $246 billion tobacco master settlement in 1998, sees the writing on the wall for Meta and its social media rivals like TikTok and Google's YouTube. This week, Meta agreed to pay almost $17 billion in a landmark settlement with a coalition of state AGs that had sued the company for misrepresenting the extent of child mental health damage caused by Facebook and Instagram.
Meta agreed to changes including daily usage limits and "nighttime blocks" for teenagers who use the company's apps, as well as the creation of additional tools for parents and guardians. An independent auditor will monitor and report on whether Meta is complying with the settlement's terms over a five-year period.
