Governor Mills Statement on Landmark Settlement to Protect Maine Children Online

Augusta, MAINE - Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement regarding the announcement of a landmark settlement between technology and social media conglomerate Meta and 47 states - including Maine - and D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands on Wednesday:

"For too long, social media has gone unregulated, harming the mental health of vulnerable children. I applaud Attorney General Frey and his colleagues for bringing this case against Meta, which will result in meaningful new protections, including more parental controls, bans on content that stoke mental health issues, and major changes to address the addictiveness of social media platforms. While there's still much more to do to protect our kids online, I'm glad major corporations like Meta are finally being forced to make online spaces safer for our kids."

Under the settlement, which is subject to court approval, Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion over the next ten years and make major changes to its products over claims it endangered children with its social media platforms.

Governor Mills has long warned of the dangers of social media and has advocated for stronger protections for Maine children. This year, she proposed and signed into law "Bell to Bell, No Cell," a statewide ban on cell phones in schools to end doomscrolling in classrooms, help students let go of addictive phones, and refocus school on education and community.