Meta’s $17 Billion Reckoning: What Changes for Utah Kids

Meta has agreed to a landmark multistate settlement worth up to about $17 billion over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed with addictive features that harmed children and teens. Utah is expected to receive more than $200 million, but state leaders say the bigger impact could be sweeping new safeguards for young users, including age verification, daily time limits, overnight restrictions and changes to personalized feeds. Host Maria Shilaos talks with Utah Department of Commerce Commissioner Margaret Busse about what Meta has agreed to change and how the state plans to make sure the company follows through. Then Dr. Jenny Rotzal, a psychologist with Huntsman Mental Health Institute’s Teenscope program, explains what social media is doing to teenagers’ mental health and what parents can do even as new protections roll out. Plus, a Trump administration immigration move creates new uncertainty for people navigating the legal immigration system, local leaders focus new attention on water quality in the Jordan River, and Salt Lake County ice skaters push back against restrictions on private instruction during public skate sessions. And before you go: after Dolly Parton’s death, Utah advocates are carrying forward her literacy legacy with an effort to expand Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library across the state and put free books into the hands of Utah’s youngest readers.