Meta agrees to $18B settlement and new safeguards for young users
Meta has agreed to pay nearly $18 billion and introduce new safety features to settle a lawsuit filed by dozens of states alleging its platforms harm children. The settlement includes a default two-hour daily limit on Facebook and Instagram for users under 18, along with prompts every 15 minutes of use. Meta denies wrongdoing but will implement these changes across its apps.
The settlement stems from a 2021 lawsuit initially brought by 29 states, later joined by 18 more, Washington, D.C., and several territories. Meta will pay $12.7 billion directly to participating states over ten years, with an additional $5.3 billion contingent on YouTube and TikTok adopting similar restrictions—including one-hour daily limits and age verification—and matching that payment. An independent auditor and settling states will monitor compliance, and a research foundation will study teen well-being online.
New default protections for minors include a two-hour daily cap on Facebook and Instagram, 15-minute use prompts, a midnight-to-6 A.M. app restriction, disabled push notifications during school hours, stronger age verification, enhanced anti-cyberbullying safeguards, blocked harmful content, and hidden likes on posts. Meta denies wrongdoing but frames the measures as an “industry standard” it hopes competitors will adopt.
This settlement could reshape how social media platforms treat minors, potentially setting a precedent for other companies facing similar scrutiny. Parents and teens may gain more control over screen time and exposure to harmful content, though enforcement and age verification remain practical challenges. The conditional payment to YouTube and TikTok might pressure those platforms to adopt comparable safeguards, possibly leading to broader industry-wide changes. However, the long-term effectiveness of time limits and notification restrictions on teen well-being is uncertain, and critics may question whether financial penalties truly alter corporate behavior.