New Jersey attorney general reacts to Meta settlement
As part of the settlement, New Jersey will receive at least $525 million from Meta, and the platform will begin a host of changes to be rolled out in the next six months, including daily time limits, nighttime and parental blocks and stronger safeguards.
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Attorney General Jennifer Davenport declared victory for New Jersey – and 46 other states – in a yearslong fight against Meta.
"I have two kids and you can see when you are constantly looking at the phone and that type of continuous scroll without limitation," said Davenport. "It is our ability to hold Meta accountable on Instagram and Facebook not just to have monetary relief, but injunctive relief that is so important to make sure the safety features we've been pressing so hard for are implemented to protect our kids."
As part of the settlement, New Jersey will receive at least $525 million from Meta, and the platform will begin a host of changes to be rolled out in the next six months, including daily time limits, nighttime and parental blocks and stronger safeguards.
New Jersey-based author and life coach Karl Romain says endless scrolling and time on social media can hurt a child's self-image and lead to bullying.
“If you can take a pause and say hey, I don't need this right now. I don't need to constantly doom scroll, put it down, take a break, do something different," said Romain. "We want them to understand how to be disciplined and have self-control around technology. To use it wisely."
Davenport says Governor Mikie Sherrill will allocate the settlement money once it's available, but beyond this agreement, there's more work to do.
"If we are able to have the same interventions with Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, it will go down to one hour, not two hours, and extend it for 10 years," said Davenport.
