Shares of Meta Platforms rebounded on Wednesday, 26 August, rising 4% to $593 apiece on the Nasdaq after the social media giant settled a major federal case and agreed to make significant changes to Facebook and Instagram.
Meta has agreed to pay $16.68 billion and introduce additional child-safety measures across its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, AP reported, citing state attorneys general.
The settlement resolves claims brought by 29 US states, including California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, and will bring an end to a federal trial that had emerged as one of the highest-profile tests yet of allegations that social media companies harmed young users.
Meta will impose daily usage limits and restrict nighttime usage for children who use Facebook and Instagram, while also enhancing measures to prevent children from accessing age-restricted content, Reuters reported.
Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.” The company also urged its rivals to adopt similar safety measures. The $17 billion settlement represents a fraction of Meta’s 2025 revenue of $201 billion.
Wednesday’s settlement also resolves lawsuits filed by California, Illinois, New Mexico, and Washington, D.C., over privacy claims related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the consulting firm collected personal data from millions of Facebook users. Those states will receive $459.3 million to resolve those lawsuits, according to the Reuters report.
The claims were part of a broader wave of litigation brought by states, local governments, school districts, and individuals alleging that Meta and other social media companies contributed to a nationwide youth mental health crisis.
Meanwhile, Meta, Snapchat and its parent Snap, YouTube and its parent Alphabet, and TikTok and its parent ByteDance still face thousands of lawsuits in federal and state courts over claims that they knowingly designed their platforms with features that could addict children and teenagers, thereby contributing to a mental health crisis.
A trial in Nashville over claims brought by Tennessee against Meta began last month.
Meta shares remain volatile
Shares of the Facebook and Instagram parent have remained volatile through much of 2026, falling to multi-month lows. To be precise, the stock came under severe selling pressure after hitting a record high of $796 per share and, at one point, slipped below the $520 mark.
Since those lows, however, the stock has regained strong momentum, rallying nearly 10.4% from its trough to Wednesday’s intraday high. Despite the sharp recovery, the shares still trade about 28% below their all-time high.
The recent volatility follows an extraordinary rally between November 2022 and July 2025, during which the stock soared from $93.16 to $773, delivering returns of nearly 730%.
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