Meta Platforms agreed to pay up to $17 billion over 10 years to settle claims brought by 29 states that it designed its platforms to addict children, while denying wrongdoing. CNBC host Jim Cramer said the cost should be barely material to earnings when distributed across the full term, contrasting it with potential fines of up to $200 billion and years of litigation if the case had gone to trial. Futurum Equities strategist Shay Boloor estimated the settlement at roughly 49 days of Meta’s projected 2028 profit, while Deepwater Management’s Gene Munster compared the $1.8 billion in annual penalties with projected 2029 free cash flow of $40 billion to $60 billion. Investor Gary Black said the agreement removes the risk of an adverse verdict that could have approached $1.4 trillion, approximately Meta’s market capitalization, but warned that thousands of individual lawsuits remain pending. Meta shares closed 1.12% higher at $578.02 on Friday and added 0.06% in extended trading; the stock remains down more than 11% year-to-date and over 21% over the past year.