Nebraska’s $200M social media settlement will be paid over 10 years | Nebraska Public Media
Nebraska’s $200M social media settlement will be paid over 10 years | Nebraska Public Media # Nebraska’s $200M social media settlement will be paid over 10 years By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media Sept.
nebraskapublicmedia.org · September 8, 2026
Nebraska’s $200M social media settlement will be paid over 10 years | Nebraska Public Media
# Nebraska’s $200M social media settlement will be paid over 10 years
By Fred Knapp , Senior Reporter/Producer Nebraska Public Media
Sept. 8, 2026, 6 a.m. ·
State Budget Administrator Neil Sullivan. (Fred Knapp/Nebraska Public Media News)
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Nebraska could receive more than $200 million from the recent multi-state settlement with Facebook's parent company, Meta. But those payments will stretch over 10 years, so they won’t plug the hole in the state’s current budget.
The state is projected to finish the current fiscal year more than $208 million short of it’s required 3% budget reserve, and more than $846 million short at the end of the next two-year budget period.
State Budget Administrator Neil Sullivan said Nebraska will get at least $140 million over 10 years from the Meta settlement, with the first payment to come by the end of September.
“We'll get the first installment, and then it'll be like $14 million every January at least,” he said.
Sullivan said Meta will pay an additional $6 million a year if a settlement is reached with competitors TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, which could bring in even more revenue. He said he has not seen an estimate of how much additional revenue that could bring in.
Sullivan said it’s clear social media has contributed to rising mental health costs, and the administration will collaborate with the attorney general and the Legislature on how to use money from the settlement.
Meanwhile, he said, work continues on how to balance the budget. Gov. Jim Pillen has directed the Budget Division to reduce monthly allotments to state agencies by 5%, and asked agencies to submit plans to reduce spending. Budget proposals for next year are due Sept. 15.