He beat Big Tobacco. Will the same playbook work against Meta and social media? - CNBC

Mike Moore, the former Mississippi attorney general who helped negotiate the $246 billion tobacco master settlement in 1998, is now advising state AGs on crafting a potential sweeping settlement with the social media industry over claims it fosters addiction and harms young people.
Meta agreed this week to pay nearly $17 billion in a landmark settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general who accused the company of misrepresenting the mental health damage its Facebook and Instagram platforms caused to children and teens.
As part of the deal, Meta committed to changes including daily usage limits, "nighttime blocks" for teens, enhanced age assurance measures to keep children off its apps, and additional tools for parents and guardians.
An independent auditor will monitor and report on Meta's compliance with the settlement terms over a five-year period, adding oversight to the agreement.
Now co-leading a newly formed nonprofit called Attention Initiative, Moore envisions a broader grand settlement encompassing more companies and stronger remedies, including a permanent national public education fund aimed at reducing the number of young people harmed by social media addiction.
Moore praised the state settlement as "a great first step" in protecting children, though experts caution that the wider litigation against social media firms like Meta, TikTok, and Google's YouTube remains far from resolved, with numerous cases still open.