Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to pay Alabama $117,345,409 as part of a $17.1 billion nationwide settlement requiring the company to implement sweeping new safety measures aimed at protecting children on Instagram and Facebook.

According to a news release, the agreement resolves claims brought by 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. The jurisdictions alleged Meta designed Instagram with addictive features, knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms and intentionally misled the public about the safety of its platforms, among other claims.

The nationwide settlement is the largest state consumer protection settlement in history outside the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s, the release said.

Under the agreement, Meta must introduce a series of changes to Instagram and Facebook intended to limit children’s use of the platforms, strengthen parental oversight and reduce exposure to harmful content.

For Instagram and Facebook combined, children will face a hard daily limit of two hours, along with mandatory “Productive Pauses” after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. The limits will remain in place for five years.

If Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube adopt comparable terms, the daily limit for each platform will drop to 60 minutes and remain in effect for 10 years.

The settlement also requires Meta to establish nighttime restrictions that block children’s access from midnight to 6 a.m. During the school year, weekday push notifications for children will be eliminated from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., limiting access during school hours.

Meta must implement more robust age assurance measures to better verify the ages of young users. The company also will be required to strengthen age-appropriate content controls, including safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders and material related to suicide and self-harm.

The agreement calls for stronger and more user-friendly parental controls, as well as limits on social comparison features such as beauty filters and visible “like” counts that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes among children and teens.

An independent auditor and the settling states will regularly assess both the implementation and effectiveness of the required safety features.

The changes are described in the settlement as more significant and comprehensive than safety measures previously ordered by any court. The agreement also represents a step toward an industry-wide approach to social media that allows children to connect in healthier ways.

“This settlement sends a clear message that Alabama will hold big tech accountable when it fails to protect our children online. Meta will pay millions of dollars to Alabama and has taken a critical step toward comprehensive reforms for youth safety. We will continue to monitor Meta to ensure compliance with the terms set forth in the settlement as well as to close off any loopholes predators and other bad actors might try to exploit,” Attorney General Steve Marshall said in the release.

The settlement is part of a broader effort by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office to hold technology companies and social media platforms accountable for putting Alabama consumers, particularly children, at risk.

Earlier this year, Marshall announced a first-in-the-nation settlement with Roblox requiring stronger protections for children on the online gaming platform and securing $12 million in funding for School Resource Officers.

Last year, Marshall sued TikTok, alleging the platform was designed to addict children and that the company misled parents about its safety. That case is scheduled for trial in September, positioning Alabama to become the first state in the nation to take TikTok to trial.

Earlier this week, Marshall also announced an investigation into OpenAI seeking accountability and understanding of vulnerabilities that permitted its AI model to hack another American AI company unprompted.

Marshall thanked the Civil and Consumer Protection Divisions for their work on the Meta settlement. Because the matter was handled in-house, 100% of the settlement amount will go to the State of Alabama.

The settlement is available at www.alabamaag.gov.