Meta could be on the hook for $17.1 billion and a series of changes to its apps under a new kids safety settlement, according to The Verge. The agreement was reached with 47 US states and several districts, marking one of the most significant regulatory outcomes the company has faced over the harms associated with social media.

The settlement follows years in which Meta became what The Verge described as the national punching bag for concerns about social media’s effects on young users. The deal ties together a substantial financial penalty with requirements for the company to alter how its apps operate.

Despite the scale of the settlement, The Verge reports that Meta is already spinning the deal to its advantage. Rather than absorbing the outcome purely as a defeat, the company appears to be using the moment to redirect public and regulatory attention toward its competitors.

According to the outlet’s framing, that means implicating rivals TikTok and YouTube in the broader conversation about online safety for children. The headline suggests that if Meta is going to face consequences, it intends to ensure those competitors are drawn into the same scrutiny.

The combination of a multibillion-dollar payment and mandated app changes signals that regulators are seeking both accountability and structural reforms, not just monetary penalties. How the required changes take shape could influence the standards other platforms are expected to meet.

The details of exactly which app changes Meta must implement, and how the settlement funds will be distributed among the participating states and districts, were not specified in the available source material.