Recently, New York was one of 47 states to join in on a landmark lawsuit against Meta (the company that owns Facebook and Instagram) claiming the platforms are harmful to teens and children.

The lawsuit paid off big time—not only in securing $1.7 billion from Meta that will be distributed to the states, but also in tangible changes that Meta is promising to make to its social media services.

Let’s start with the why: the lawsuit claims that the social media company is purposely preying on young people by making its platforms addictive, which can lead to unhealthy habits or cause mental illness.

The funds are intended to support mental health services, education programs, and other efforts to repair and reduce the harm caused by unhealthy social media use among young people.

In a press release issued last week, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said, “We cannot allow social media companies to continue fueling the growing rates of low self-esteem, isolation, and depression among our youth. With significant new resources for our communities and comprehensive restrictions on Meta’s platforms for young people, we are taking a major step towards breaking the cycle of social media addiction.”

New York will receive at least $819 million and up to $1.15 billion and the funds could go toward things like training for mental health professionals to serve students, after-school or summer programming for young people, and public health programs.

As part of the lawsuit, Meta must also make changes to its platforms, including:  verifying the ages of its users to identify those under 18, imposing time limits of two hours per day, and closing access between midnight and 6 a.m. and limiting notifications during school hours.

Of course, New York State has already banned the use of cell phones in schools, and state officials are taking even further measures to ensure children’s safety online.

In July, the state signed into law the SAFE for Kids Act aimed at limiting addictive social media features. It would require social media companies to restrict algorithmically personalized feeds and nighttime notifications for users under the age of 18 unless they obtain parental consent.

State lawmakers say algorithmic feeds and nighttime notifications are tied to depression, anxiety, eating and sleep disorders, and other mental health issues among children and teenagers.

While the Meta lawsuit only applies to Facebook and Instagram, there are of course other online platforms that teens regularly use: YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat, that are still in the “wild west” of regulation.

Although social media has become a part of everyday life for many, it’s still in its early stages and so we didn’t really know what we signed up for; especially as companies continue to turn these platforms into a product, trying to generate as much revenue as possible.

It was only a matter of time before negative consequences started to emerge, and we applaud New York and other states for taking a step up to try and protect those who are most vulnerable.