(File Photo: Source for Photo: People talk near a Meta sign outside of the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) Attorney General Dave Sunday recently announced that Pennsylvania, as part of a multistate coalition, has reached a settlement with Meta that assures the social media company will implement sweeping changes to existing age assurance framework, limit children’s time on their platforms, and cut kids’ access to harmful content.

This settlement involves up to $17.1 billion in national remediation payments and is the largest-ever settlement that involves a big tech company.

That total is contingent on other major social media companies that agreed to the same sweeping changes.

The state of Pennsylvania is expected to receive $516 million over a period of years and up to $729 million as a result of this settlement.

The multistate group reached the settlement amid a civil trial that is happening in California regarding the alleged failures of Meta to protect young users.