North Carolina Receives First $45.2 Million Payment From Meta Child Safety Settlement

North Carolina has received a first payment of $45.2 million from the Meta child-safety settlement reached in August 2026. The broader settlement involves up to $17.1 billion for participating states and requires Meta to introduce new protections for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram, including parental controls, daily time limits, and restricted access during school and nighttime hours. State lawmakers will decide how the funds are used, with Attorney General Jeff Jackson recommending investments in youth programs and school health resources.

A $45.2 million disbursement from the child-safety agreement struck with Meta in August 2026 has now been transferred to North Carolina as the opening installment under that accord. As part of the agreement, a payment of up to $17.1 billion from Meta will be distributed among the states involved, alongside a commitment to roll out new protective measures across Facebook and Instagram. Under the terms of the agreement, Meta faces obligations to put age-verification or similar barriers in place for users below 13, raise the floor on privacy defaults for adolescents, and hand parents a broader set of tools for overseeing their teenagers' accounts. Among the additional provisions are caps on how long teenagers can use the platform each day, along with blocked alerts and restricted feed access during school hours and overnight. Teenagers can expect to notice shifts within a matter of months, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Justice. Decisions about how those settlement funds get allocated within the state rest with the North Carolina General Assembly. Jackson, serving as attorney general, put forward a proposal that the funds be directed toward after-school and summer initiatives, telephone helplines aimed at children in distress, and health staff stationed within schools. Funds have now changed hands to fulfil the monetary portion of the agreement, and adjustments to the platform itself are on track to roll out to accounts held by teenagers.

North Carolina Receives First $45.2 Million Payment From Meta Child Safety Settlement

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North Carolina Receives First $45.2 Million Payment From Meta Child Safety Settlement

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