New Jersey is poised to receive at least $525M in settlement

"Parents should not have to compete with multi-million-dollar algorithms just to protect their own children. I applaud today's landmark multi-state settlement of more than $17 billion with Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta) and am pleased to see a dual approach to strengthening protections for our kids.

"New Jersey is set to receive at least $525 million, and Meta has agreed to make changes to its platform to increase protections for children and teenagers. Today's announced settlement is a major step toward holding Big Tech accountable for the harm its platforms can cause, particularly to minors. The evidence in this case made clear that these companies understood the toll their platforms were taking on children's mental health and chose profit over protecting them anyway. That is exactly why accountability alone isn't enough — this settlement money needs to go toward undoing the damage, and that means real investment in mental health programs and resources for our kids.

"As a mom and a legislator, I recognize that protecting our children online is a battle that needs to be fought on multiple fronts. I am proud that my social media bill package, signed into law earlier this month, will strengthen privacy safeguards for minors, and I am encouraged by New Jersey's continued effort to protect children online. Together, these efforts demonstrate our state's commitment to ensuring that access to technology does not come at the expense of our children's safety — and now, this settlement gives us a real opportunity to invest directly in their wellbeing.

"Parents should not have to choose between allowing their children to participate in digital spaces and keeping them safe. This is the type of accountability I will continue to fight for, and I will be pushing to ensure New Jersey's share of this settlement is directed where it's needed most: toward the mental health of the kids who were harmed."