The Meta Settlement Money Is Coming; Albany Decides Where It Goes

If you have a teenager in a New York public school, you already lived through one big change this year. The phones go away when the day starts and come back when it ends. That is state law now. A second change is coming, and this one follows your child home.

At the end of August, Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and attorneys general in 50 other states and territories. The company will pay the states up to $17.1 billion. New York will receive at least $819 million and as much as $1.15 billion. The Attorney General’s office calls it the largest settlement with a single company in its history.