Brockstedt Mandalas Federico Partner Matt Legg was quoted in The Baltimore Sun following the announcement of Meta’s $17 billion settlement with state attorneys general over allegations that Instagram and Facebook harmed children through addictive platform features.
The settlement resolves claims brought by Maryland and 46 other states, Washington D.C., and several U.S. territories, and could provide Maryland with up to $327 million while requiring Meta to implement new child-safety measures on Instagram and Facebook.
BMF represents over 100 school districts in the concurrent social media addiction MDL including Harford County Public Schools, whose case was selected as one of six school district bellwether cases. Matt serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, helping lead litigation alleging that social media companies designed products with addictive features that contributed to mental health and educational harms affecting students and schools.
While the attorneys’ general settlement marks a significant development, school districts’ claims seeking damages for past and future costs associated with addressing social media-related harms remain active.
Read the full article: https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/08/26/maryland-meta-settlement-327-million-children-instagram-facebook/