Two Wisconsin mothers who lost sons in tragedies linked to social media are welcoming Meta’s multistate settlement while pressing lawmakers for broader protections for children online. Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed late last month to settle a lawsuit brought by multiple states, including Wisconsin. The company will pay the states about $17.1 billion and make changes to how minors use its platforms. Wisconsin could receive as much as $313 million, with payments scheduled to begin in January. For Annie McGrath of Madison, the settlement is significant because it includes changes to Meta’s platforms, not just a financial payment. But McGrath said those changes cannot replace legislation that would hold social media companies to a stronger safety standard. Her 13-year-old son, Griffin, died in 2018 after taking part in an online “choking” challenge. McGrath now works with Parents for Safe Online Spaces and is involved in a lawsuit against YouTube. A federal judge dismissed that case in California in 2025, but McGrath said the plaintiffs plan to appeal. “The settlement is monumental,” McGrath said, while adding that it is “too little too late” without new regulations. She said companies should be required to consider children’s safety when designing algorithms and other platform features. Carrie Baeten of Green Bay is also seeking stronger accountability. Her 18-year-old son, Jack McDonough, died of a fentanyl overdose after buying a pill through Facebook that he believed was Percocet. Baeten was part of a lawsuit against Meta and other social media companies. Baeten said a settlement payment alone does not address the damage she believes the platforms have caused. “There’s still no accountability,” she said. “They haven’t taken any accountability for any of the harms.” Both mothers support the federal Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA. The legislation would create a “duty of care” requiring social media companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to minors. It also would require annual assessments of potential harms to children, stronger safeguards and parental controls, and improved systems for reporting dangerous content. The Senate passed an earlier version of KOSA in 2024, but the bill did not advance in the House after some members objected to the duty-of-care provision. A new version was introduced this congressional session and cleared a Senate committee in August, setting up a possible full Senate vote this fall. Supporters hope Congress will pass it by the end of the year. Wisconsin Sens. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, and Ron Johnson, a Republican, both voted for the 2024 Senate version. State lawmakers have also proposed new restrictions. Rep. Joy Goeben, R-Hobart, introduced bills that would alter age-verification requirements for some apps and prohibit platforms from targeting minors with addictive features. The Assembly approved both measures earlier this year, but the Senate has not voted on them. The two mothers said more parents have joined the movement as concerns about social media’s effects on children have grown. Baeten said connecting with other families helped ease the isolation surrounding her son’s death and gave parents a shared language for discussing online harms. She wants Wisconsin’s settlement money to produce tangible support for children and families. Attorney General Josh Kaul has said he would like to use the funds for youth mental-health efforts, including training for medical providers and grants for schools. McGrath and Baeten said those investments should include counseling and education for students, while lawmakers pursue stronger limits on how platforms design and operate services used by children. “Kids just need help,” McGrath said. “We need some counseling, and then we need some more education in schools.”