Statement on Meta's Multibillion-Dollar Settlement

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 26, 2026 — In response to Meta's multibillion-dollar settlement, Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer issued the following statement:

"This settlement is social media's Big Tobacco moment. The message to the tech industry is clear: build child safety in, or courts and legislatures will make you.

Between devastating evidence that was emerging in the trial and pending legislation in California, Mark Zuckerberg saw the hammer coming down. Meta's decision to settle is proof that the prospect of paying real money works.

Hats off to California Attorney General Bonta and his colleagues, to the hundreds of parents who have spoken out, and to advocates and lawmakers who have pushed this issue for years.

Social media has been an uncontrolled experiment on our kids, and the public is outraged: We let social media companies run a massive, uncontrolled experiment on a generation of kids—and it took over a decade for the mental health consequences to fully surface.

The product changes included in the settlement are excellent, including the restriction on overnight and school-day notifications, "likes" being off by default, the elimination of beauty filters, and limits on user time. But as good as this is, there is more that needs to be done.

It is still better to get as many things into law as possible, and this makes a number of pending bills even more important. Like the federal Kids Online Safety Act with its duty of care, pending in the U.S. Senate, and AB2 and AB1709 in California, both of which are facing a vote this week in the State Senate. We need to make sure all social media companies with addictive features fall in line, not just Meta. And we need to make sure all of the negative features that exist and that might be invented in the future are kept away from kids."

About Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. We rate, educate, and advocate to protect and prepare kids online. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users globally, over 1.4 million educators, and more than 100,000 schools worldwide every year. Learn more at commonsense.org.