Associate Dean Daryl Lim comments to Reuters on landmark Meta settlement

CARLISLE, PA—H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law and Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Partnerships Daryl Lim provided legal analysis to Reuters on Meta’s agreement to pay up to $16.68 billion and make significant changes to Facebook and Instagram to resolve claims brought by states across the United States concerning harms to children. You can read the article by clicking here.

Lim explained that the settlement’s significance extends beyond its headline dollar amount. He emphasized that the $16.68 billion figure is a maximum rather than an immediate payment and noted that, although a settlement does not establish legal precedent, it may influence other litigation by demonstrating that claims involving social media design, children’s privacy, and platform safety can survive substantial legal challenges, reach trial, and create significant financial exposure.

Lim also highlighted the importance of examining the specific changes Meta has agreed to make to Facebook and Instagram. His analysis connects with his scholarship and teaching concerning privacy, technology, artificial intelligence, and the governance of digital platforms.

Reuters published Lim’s comments on August 26, 2026, as part of its coverage of the Meta settlement. The article brought together commentary from legal academics and financial and market analysts on the settlement’s legal, regulatory, and economic significance. Reuters is one of the world’s largest international news organizations, with its reporting distributed globally to news organizations, financial professionals, businesses, and the public.

Daryl Lim is the H. Laddie Montague Jr. Chair in Law at Penn State Dickinson Law. He is also the Associate Dean for Research & Strategic Partnerships and Founding Director of the Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Innovation Initiative. At the university level, he is a co-hire at the Institute of Computational and Data Sciences and an affiliate at the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence.

Professor Lim is an award-winning author, observer, and commentator on national and global trends in IP and competition policy and how they influence and are influenced by law, technology, economics, and politics. He helps policymakers, attorneys, corporate counsel, scholars, and the public understand the world around them. He is a founding member of the Global IP Alliance and its local chapters in Pennsylvania and Illinois. In addition, he serves as Co-Chair of the University Education Committee in the US IP Alliance.

In December 2022, the American Law Institute elected Professor Lim to its membership based on demonstrated excellence and outstanding professional achievement. In 2023, the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission recognized him as “a leading expert in antitrust law and economics” and the IAM Strategy 300, a guide to the industry pioneers with “exceptional skill sets, as well as profound insights into the development, creation, and management of IP value,” named him to its World’s Leading IP Strategists 2023 list. In 2024, he was appointed to the consultative group advising the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. In 2025, he received the IP Professor of the Year Award at the Global Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence & Technology Conclave & Awards.