Meta spent more money lobbying in 2025 than in any year in the company's history, according to new federal disclosure records. And, much of that effort has been focused on shaping how Georgia and other states approach how to keep kids safe online.
The Facebook and Instagram parent company shattered its previous spending record this past year, pouring $26.2 million into its lobbying efforts. That's more than Snapchat, Apple, Microsof
The spending surge comes as lawmakers in Georgia and in states across the country consider age verification legislation aimed at protecting children from harmful online content. But critics say Meta's real goal isn't protecting kids, rather protecting its own liability.
"Meta is trying to shift responsibility for the dangerous content on their platforms onto app stores and device makers," former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins wrote in a recent opinion piece for The Hill. "We shouldn't let dangerous companies pass the buck."
Meta's lobbying machine has expanded dramatically over the course of this age verification fight. The company now employs at least 86 different lobbyists - up from 65 in 2024 - and has hired lobbying firms in 45 of 50 states. In states with active age verification legislation, Meta's presence is especially heavy: 14 lobbyists in Ohio, 13 in Texas, and 12 across nine different firms in Louisiana.
Supplementing their lobbyists’ efforts are groups like the Digital Childhood Alliance (DCA) - a “grassroots” organization purportedly representing parents, which has now been revealed to be secretly funded by Meta, a revelation that drew intense criticismonline.
In Georgia, Meta’s investments have already begun to pay dividends. Senators introduced SB 467 earlier this month, legislation that would force app stores – not social media platforms – to be responsible for age verification. When Georgia’s Senate Committee on Children and Families held a hearing this past Tuesday to discuss the bill, DCA Executive Director Casey Stefanski was there in-person to help "dispel myths” about the bill and ensure its passage. Yet, when Sen. Kirkpatrick and Sen. Mallow asked Stefanski if Meta was funding the Digital Childhood Alliance, she struggled to provide an answer before eventually telling the committee that they “don’t disclose our donors.”
Georgia has therefore understandably emerged as a key battleground in this fight, drawing sharp rebukes from local voices. An opinion piece in James Magazine Online, for example, urged lawmakers to protect children online rather than shield tech giants. Another in The Cherokee Tribune warned that legislators in Atlanta “shouldn’t bail out Facebook, TikTok.”
At stake is not just child safety policy, but a critical part of Meta's business model. Internal documents indicate Meta has prioritized access to young users and their data since at least 2017, when CEO Mark Zuckerberg made teenage engagement a company focus.
No matter the amount of money spent on lobbying, the decision ultimately rests with Georgia legislators who will have to decide what’s in the best interests of their constituents. The elected officials will have to decide if leaving age verification requirements to social media platforms, or shifting the responsibility to app stores as Meta has advocated for is better for child safety.
