Meta Millions to CT

Governor Ned Lamont announced today that Connecticut will receive $265.4 million from the $17.1 billion multi-state settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

The governor said the State will enforce “long overdue” safety provisions in the settlement, reforms aimed at protecting children on Meta’s social media platforms. He praised Attorney General William Tong for “leading in court on this issue.”

“Social media is all too often anti-social,” said Mr. Lamont. “Tech companies have increasingly been taking advantage of kids, creating apps and algorithms that decrease their attention spans, drive them to become addicted, cause them to tune out real life, and harmfully impact their mental health and wellbeing.”

The governor said most funds from the settlement will be directed to “initiatives that remediate youth harms from social media,” specifically mental health and crisis intervention, after school and summer school programs, and implementation of phone-free school zones.

In June, Mr. Lamont signed into law the CART Act (Connecticut Artificial Intelligence Responsibility and Transparency), bipartisan legislation that focuses on youth online safety, regulates high-risk artificial intelligence applications, and establishes programs to develop AI literacy and talent in the state.