Attorney General Josh Kaul says the state will use its $219 million in funds from the Meta lawsuit settlement for various youth mental health programming efforts.
“There’s no doubt that this settlement is historic, but it’s also my sincere hope that this is an inflection point,” Kaul said.
He added that he hoped “other big tech firms and social media companies beyond Meta will hear our message that we are committed to getting accountability from social media companies that engage in conduct that harms our kids.”
A lawsuit filed by 47 states claimed that Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, knowingly added features to foster social media addiction among children and made false claims about the safety of its products.
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As a part of the settlement, Meta will also implement a slew of safety features for users between the ages of 13 and 17, including stricter age verification measures, a daily time limit and additional content restrictions.
The entire settlement is $17 billion, and Kaul said the state could receive up to $313 million in settlement funds if other agreements are met with TikTok and YouTube.
Kaul said the DOJ will spend the next few weeks looking into how the funds can “most effectively help kids.”
He said this could take the form of crisis intervention services, digital literacy counselors, grants to school districts and after-school programming.
“This kind of massive settlement amount, as well as these kind of game-changing changes in how these platforms do their business with respect to kids who are online, is going to fundamentally change the role that social media plays in kids’ lives,” Kaul said.
Additionally, Kaul said the DOJ will be responsible for “assessing the precise allocation of the funds.”
Kaul and the Legislature have been at odds over settlement funds since Republicans in late 2018 gave lawmakers new oversight over the money through the Joint Finance Committee. The state Supreme Court ruled last month Kaul has the power to deposit uncommitted settlement funds into accounts controlled by the Department of Justice rather than putting that money into the state general fund overseen by lawmakers.
The office of Joint Finance co-chairs Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
