GOP gubernatorial hopeful vows to embed Meta settlement rules into Georgia law

Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson pledged to make the child-protection standards set in Meta’s recent $17.1 billion settlement law across all major platforms in the state. The settlement, reached by Attorney General Chris Carr, requires Meta to add safeguards such as content filtering, parental controls, limits on school-day and nighttime use, and daily time caps. Jackson said he would use the anticipated $135 million Georgia portion of the settlement to combat online child trafficking, locate missing children, and aid survivors.

He framed the initiative as a response to predators exploiting digital platforms rather than physical streets. The promise appears in the final stretch of the race against former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, with a debate scheduled for Oct. 6 in Atlanta. Recent polls show the contest within single-digit margins.