The Meta Settlement: Value, Values, and Responsibility
Just the Facts
On Wednesday, August 26, just days before their CEO Mark Zuckerberg was scheduled to testify in a case brought by 47 state attorneys general, both sides announced a settlement that was approved by the judge within 24 hours. The subsequent headline in the New York Times read, “Meta to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion in Landmark Settlement Over Social Media Addiction Claims.” A press release from the office of the Idaho Attorney General stated, “Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced today a staggering $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.”
Because words matter, it’s important to stress-test the words “landmark” and “staggering.” Prosecutors for 47 states were initially hoping for around $200 billion in fines, and some estimates argued that they could have potentially received up to another $1.4 trillion in damages. However, the states settled for far less than that number.
Their $1.7 billion payout in 2026 is equivalent to approximately 0.67% of their expected 2026 revenue of $253 billion, and the same payment in 2030 will represent a whopping 0.38% of their projected $448 billion annual revenue. For perspective, the full $17.1 billion settlement is equal to 0.68% of Meta’s low estimate projection of a $2.5 trillion market valuation in 2030 alone.
The settlement, in standard boilerplate language that we have come to expect and accept, agreed to by both parties, also explicitly states that Meta admits to no wrong-doing.
Non-Admission and Jurisdictional Limitation. This Agreement is entered into for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by Meta of any liability, wrongdoing, or violation of any local, state, federal, or international law. The obligations, product modifications, and concessions set forth herein are explicitly limited to the Settling States. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to apply to, establish a standard of care for, or serve as precedent in any non-participating U.S. state or any international jurisdiction whatsoever. Pursuant to Rule 408 of the Federal Rules of Evidence and any federal or state-law equivalents, this Agreement and any related documents filed or created in connection with this Settlement Agreement shall be inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding, except as necessary to approve, interpret, or enforce this Agreement.
Further, any future attempt to relitigate this issue by the settling states is forfeit,
Waive Challenge. The Parties each further waive any right to challenge or contest the validity of this Agreement on any ground, including, without limitation, that any term is unconstitutional or is preempted by, or in conflict with, any current or future law.
Meta, with this settlement has avoided legal accountability and limited their financial liability. Both are great for PR and shareholders. This is echoed, and perhaps recast, by Meta’s own statement,
Today, we are announcing an agreement with a bipartisan group of 52 attorneys general across US states, territories, and the District of Columbia, building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.
Over the years, we have consistently partnered with parents and experts — listening, learning, and building. That’s why we launched Teen Accounts in 2024, to bring automatic protections to teens, and more control for parents.
Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta. We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.
Capitalism Discussion Redux
In an earlier Pastor’s Briefing we addressed the distinctions between shareholder and stakeholder capitalism. In that briefing we spent considerable space addressing morality and righteousness regarding markets and as proscribed in Leviticus 19 and practiced in the book of Ruth.
The Meta case provides an excellent case-in-point. First, the issue is not the amount of revenue or profit that Meta, or Mark Zuckerberg, makes. Businesses are right to pursue profits. Shareholders invest in order to receive profit-based dividends. In the Old Testament, neither Abraham, Boaz, nor David are criticized for their wealth. However, contrary to the maxim of free-market advocate Milton Friedman, who proposed that businesses’ only “social responsibility is to make a profit for the shareholders,” operating without a concern for stakeholders is clearly not how the 47 state attorneys general understood the extent of Mark Zuckerberg’s responsibility.
Scripture does not say that “Money is the root of all evil.” Instead, it says something far more personal and indicting,
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:9–10.
What Christianity teaches is not that capitalism is good or bad. Rather, it teaches that the markets exist to foster flourishing and that the meaning of flourishing is not up for debate. As has always been the case, our disordered affections frequently warp our market interactions.
Social Responsibility
We live in a democracy, not a theocracy. Yet, mirroring their role in the Old Testament, the courts were established by our founders as part of the mechanism of punishing those who do evil and protecting the vulnerable (1 Peter 2:13–17). Their function includes providing justice within the marketplace.
Discussions related to social media, business models, and the impact on society start as policy discussions around the dinner table and break room but ultimately find their way into the policy making arena of the public square. Since Christ has dominion over all things, including the public square, we need to make sure we understand how to articulate his vision of and for flourishing within it.
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and the first portion in Numbers are delivered to the former slaves who now stand as freed people camped at the base of Mt. Sinai as they receive the Law from Moses. The book of Leviticus is intended as a detailed instruction manual for worship. Importantly, worship, as defined in Leviticus, applies both to formal congregational worship, as well as worship through the interactions of daily life. This is clear from Leviticus 19:13–18.
14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:13–18.
In verse 14, the point is to prohibit the exploitation and abuse of people who are not able to protect themselves from harm. Additionally, the passage speaks of the manner in which the courts function in relation to worship. The courts were created to provide justice for everyone regardless of their station in life and to punish those who harmed their neighbor rather than seek their flourishing.
Echoing this, Jesus, in one of his latter sermons, applies the Old Testament Law not just to the individuals who transgress the Law but to those whose intentional actions cause others, specifically children, to sin.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:5–6.
Lessons from Recent History
In 2006, Facebook moved beyond their initial audience of university campuses, and began allowing anyone over 13 to create a profile. In 2007, the first iPhone was released. I was given one in 2008 when our children were 13, 11, 7, and 5 as a tool to improve my operational efficiency during church-planting. Our children grew up in the smartphone and social media age. Together the smartphone and social media promised to bring flourishing to a level unimagined before. Since then, however, we have increasing evidence that the pursuit of profits has been warped by the love of money which has produced all manner of evil.
In 2021, Frances Haugen, a former senior Facebook employee, opened her testimony before Congress with this statement,
My name is Frances Haugen. I used to work at Facebook and joined because I think Facebook has the potential to bring out the best in us. But I am here today because I believe that Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, weaken our democracy and much more. The company’s leadership knows ways to make Facebook and Instagram safer and won’t make the necessary changes because they have put their immense profits before people. Congressional action is needed. They cannot solve this crisis without your help.
In October of that same year, a story broke detailing how Facebook knowingly employed algorithms that led to addiction and radicalization. Coverage of the leaked documents included a story by NBC News entitled, “Carol’s Journey to QAnon.”
The body of research consistently found Facebook pushed some users into “rabbit holes,” increasingly narrow echo chambers where violent conspiracy theories thrived. People radicalized through these rabbit holes make up a small slice of total users, but at Facebook’s scale, that can mean millions of individuals.
More recently, social psychologist and best-selling author Jonathan Haidt wrote about the damage being done by social media in his well-researched book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.
Gen Z became the first generation in history to go through puberty with a portal in their pockets that called them away from the people nearby and into an alternative universe that was exciting, addictive, unstable, and — as I will show — unsuitable for children and adolescents.
In 2022, Meta settled a Biden-led Department of Justice lawsuit initiated by the Trump Department of Housing and Urban Development for using algorithms to allow landlords to subvert fair-housing regulations,
Under the settlement, Meta will stop using an advertising tool for housing ads (known as the “Special Ad Audience” tool) that, according to the department’s complaint, relies on a discriminatory algorithm. Meta also will develop a new system to address racial and other disparities caused by its use of personalization algorithms in its ad delivery system for housing ads. That system will be subject to Department of Justice approval and court oversight. This settlement marks the first time that Meta will be subject to court oversight for its ad targeting and delivery system.
Responsibility of the Government
The Apostle Peter wrote to the elect exiles of Asia Minor regarding how they should view and respond to their government. At the time, that government was a blend of corrupt religious rule that was subservient to a corrupt political dictatorship.
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 1 Peter 2:13–14.
Paul echoes this in his letter to the Romans,
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Romans 13:1–7.
Both understood that the government, including the courts, had a God-appointed role to play in delivering justice and promoting flourishing.
In 1996, in an effort to curb and regulate online pornography, Congress passed the Communications Decency Act. That bill, in Section 230 included this language,
- to preserve the vibrant and competitive free market that presently exists for the Internet and other interactive computer services, unfettered by Federal or State regulation;
- to encourage the development of technologies which maximize user control over what information is received by individuals, families, and schools who use the Internet and other interactive computer services;
- to remove disincentives for the development and utilization of blocking and filtering technologies that empower parents to restrict their children’s access to objectionable or inappropriate online material; and […]
(c) Protection for “Good Samaritan” Blocking and Screening of Offensive Material
(1) Treatment of Publisher or Speaker — No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.
This last statement is the shield under which virtually all social media providers seek protection when accused of harming individuals or hindering their flourishing. Their position is that they are not producing any content, simply delivering it. Numerous attempts to amend Section 230 have failed, which has led to the court cases such as the one most recently settled by Meta.
Responsibility of the Family
As Christians, we are told that it is the family, not the government charged with raising children who will walk in the way of righteousness,
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:4–7.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6.
Parents, then, are given responsibility for protecting their children from “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin.” This includes the momentous task of not just monitoring but officiating their children’s use of social media. For most, this is a losing battle, and one they feel places them on the wrong side of culture as well as their child’s school-based social networks. Most parents frequently feel alone, uninformed, overwhelmed, exhausted, and sadly, unsupported. But Christian parents should have a different experience.
Responsibility of the Church
As pastors we are familiar with the words of the prophet Ezekiel who spoke to the clergy of the Southern Kingdom during the Babylonian exile,
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the LORD God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, declares the LORD God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. Ezekiel 34:1–10.
These are strong and scary words for ministers who ignore their role as shepherds and allow the sheep to be destroyed by outside forces.
Paul wrote multiple letters to the church in Corinth that was being ripped apart by division, factions, and influencers.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:10–13.
Peter closed his first pastoral letter with an exhortation to the elders to take their jobs seriously,
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:1–3.
As pastors, we have received a calling to shepherd those under our care and to inform, protect, guide, and correct them, and especially their children, as they navigate life as elect exiles. Our shepherding work includes parents stewarding their families. It also includes our members as they engage in important topics like social media, the markets, regulations, and the courts. It may even include shepherding servants and leaders working in the public square who come to us and ask, “Does the Bible say anything about the role of social media, the markets, regulations, and the courts?”
Connecting Sunday to Monday
What is good that needs encouragement? Who in your congregation is parenting against the current — delaying a first phone, keeping devices out of bedrooms, absorbing a child’s anger over a rule no other family enforces? Those parents usually assume they are the only ones. Who else is present: the pediatricians and counselors who see the clinical picture, the legislative staff who know what a settlement does and does not accomplish?
What is broken that longs for restoration? Parents in your congregation may feel alone, uninformed, overwhelmed, and unsupported, and that the church has largely left them there. Where has your congregation treated a child’s device as a private family matter rather than a discipleship question?
What is missing that awaits creation? Most parents lose this battle fighting one household at a time against their child’s entire social network. What would change if a group of families agreed together on a common age for a first phone, so that no child could accurately say everyone else is allowed? What catechesis does your congregation offer on attention and desire, rather than on screen time alone?
What is evil that demands opposition? A settlement costing less than one percent of a year’s revenue, admitting no wrongdoing, and barring the states from ever relitigating is not accountability; it is the price of continuing. Where a company holds evidence that its product harms children and declines to act because acting would cost money, Matthew 18:6 is not hyperbole. Are your members equipped to say so plainly in their homes, workplaces, and communities?
Major Works Cited
- People of the State of California v. Meta Platforms, Inc., No. 4:23-cv-05448 (N.D. Cal.). Trial opened August 18, 2026; proposed consent judgment announced August 26, 2026, before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
- Communications Decency Act of 1996, 47 U.S.C. § 230. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/230
- Friedman, Milton. “A Friedman Doctrine — The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.” New York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970, 32–33, 122–26.
- Haidt, Jonathan. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. New York: Penguin Press, 2024.
- Haugen, Frances. Testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security. “Protecting Kids Online: Testimony from a Facebook Whistleblower.” October 5, 2021. https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2021/10/protecting-kids-online-testimony-from-a-facebook-whistleblower
- Meta Platforms, Inc. Statement on the multistate settlement, August 26, 2026. about.fb.com
- Office of the Attorney General, State of Idaho. Press release on the Meta multistate settlement, August 26, 2026. https://www.ag.idaho.gov
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. “Justice Department Secures Groundbreaking Settlement Agreement with Meta Platforms, Formerly Known as Facebook, to Resolve Allegations of Discriminatory Advertising.” June 21, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-groundbreaking-settlement-agreement-meta-platforms-formerly-known
- Zadrozny, Brandy. “‘Carol’s Journey’: What Facebook Knew about How It Radicalized Users.” NBC News, October 22, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com
Helpful Resources
Crouch, Andy. The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2017.
Koyzis, David T. Political Visions and Illusions: A Survey and Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies. 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019.
Sherman, Amy L. Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society. Lisle, IL: IVP, 2022.
Thompson, Curt. The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021.
Equipping Servants & Leaders to Flourish In and For the Public Square
A gospel-centered ministry for servants and leaders in Washington, D.C., and around the country, led by an ordained minister, former church-planting pastor, and public theologian.
Mission
Faithful Presence exists to equip servants and leaders in and for the public square, through whole-life formation across every dimension of who they are.
We are a gospel-centered ministry founded in 2021 by Rev. Michael Langer, built on a simple but demanding conviction: the people shaping this country deserve more than good intentions. They deserve whole-life formation — spiritual, emotional, relational, vocational, intellectual, cultural, and evangelical.
What We Do
Cohorts — 14-Week Discipleship Cohorts. Small-group formation built around the S.E.R.V.I.C.E. framework. Available in-person in Washington and virtually. 2 cohorts in 2026, scaling to 8 by 2028.
Publications — Curriculum & Content. Our Discipleship Liturgies for the Public Square are the foundation of our work. First Peter will soon be joined by The Sermon on the Mount (2027), The Books of Moses (2028), and The Psalms (2029). We also produce the Presence Weekly devotional, a monthly Pastor’s Briefing, and podcasts.
Pastoral Care — One-on-One Formation. Personal, confidential conversations with trained staff, at no cost to the participant. Every staff minister carries up to 100 actively engaged constituents, defined as individuals seen 5–6 times per year with regular text and phone follow-up.
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The Pastor’s Briefing is a monthly resource for pastors who are forming their people for Monday as well as Sunday. Each issue takes a live question in the public square, works it through Scripture, and ends where your congregation lives.
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