The Lanier Law Firm is pleased to join Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin in acknowledging a historic settlement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, resolving litigation seeking to protect children while using Meta’s platforms.

The firm served as outside counsel in representing Arkansas, the first state to bring claims against the social media giant for violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act for misleading minors and their parents about the addictive nature of Facebook and Instagram algorithms.

With Arkansas’s claims later joined with litigation brought by 50 other attorneys general, the landmark settlement totals $17.1 billion, with more than $172 million to be awarded to Arkansas. The settlement includes a sweeping set of enhanced safety measures.

“As we’ve seen through the course of earlier litigation, Meta has attempted to claim that its algorithms pose no risk to mental health, while the company’s own documents reveal a concerted strategy to keep users – especially young people – online for hours,” says the firm’s Mark Lanier. “The dangers of this addiction are now well-documented, and we’re pleased to support Attorney General Griffin and those in other states and territories to bring about meaningful safety measures.”

Earlier this year Mr. Lanier served as lead trial counsel in securing a combined $6 million verdict against Meta and YouTube on behalf of a young woman. The California trial was the first of hundreds of pending individual claims alleging mental health damages due to the addictive nature of the platforms’ algorithms.

Under the settlement the safety features that Meta will be required to implement on Facebook and Instagram include daily time limits with mandatory pauses, restrictions during school hours and after midnight, age verification protocols, stronger parental controls, and limits on social comparison features, such as so-called beauty filters which were a key aspect of the California trial.

Other Lanier Law Firm attorneys representing the state included Alex J. Brown and Zeke DeRose, with co-counsel from Reddick Law, PLLC and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP.

About The Lanier Law Firm

For more than 30 years, The Lanier Law Firm has represented clients nationwide in high-stakes litigation involving business disputes, mass torts, personal injury, defective products, asbestos exposure, and more. Named an Elite Trial Law Firm by The National Law Journal, the firm has offices in Houston, Fort Worth, New York, and Los Angeles. Learn more at www.lanierlawfirm.com.

Media gallery

About The Author
Business Wire