Florida was one of eight states that led the investigation into whether Meta built Facebook and Instagram to addict teenagers. That case has now ended in a settlement worth $17 billion, covering claims from 47 states.
The trial was heard in federal court in Oakland, California, before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Florida's attorney general worked alongside counterparts in California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee and Vermont on the underlying investigation, and 29 states sued in 2023.
Meta has put the total at $18 billion, a figure reported to include a large separate award for Texas. Individual state shares have mostly not been disclosed; Virginia's was reported at $353 million.
The lawsuit accused Meta of deliberately building features that addict children to its platforms while concealing what it knew about the harm, and of routinely collecting data on children under 13 without parental consent in violation of federal law.
Arturo Bejar, a former Meta engineering director, testified that the company prioritised profits over safety.
The settlement is to be paid out annually over 10 years. Virginia's share was reported at $353 million, one of the few state figures made public so far.
What changes on the apps
The money will matter less to most families than the settlement's operating terms, which Meta has agreed to apply to Facebook and Instagram:
