Meta Agrees to New Facebook, Instagram Limits for Teens in $18 Million Settlement

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, agreed to pay $18 million and will limit how teenagers can use their social media platforms to settle a lawsuit brought by 29 states that claim the platforms were designed to addict children.

The Details: Meta agreed to pay the states for public health purposes, including crisis intervention services, after-school programs, mental health programs for youth, and outdoor activities for teens. Over the next decade, Meta will also restrict how teens can use Facebook and Instagram, including limiting under-18 users to 2 hours of use a day, blocking access from midnight to 6 a.m., and limiting notifications during school hours. Parents will also be able to choose to default their children's feeds to a chronological timeline rather than an algorithm. The settlement does not, however, require Meta to disable targeted advertising for users under 18.

For Context: The lawsuit alleged that Meta's products were harmful to children and that the company purposely misled the public about their safety. Meta's chief legal officer said in a statement, "Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution. We therefore call on our industry peers, TikTok and YouTube, to implement this new framework right away."

How the Media Covered It: Axios (Lean Left bias) called the settlement "social media's version of the landmark 1990s tobacco settlement," claiming that it "effectively reshapes the industry and the way young Americans experience some of their favorite platforms." Breitbart (Right) noted the states' claims against Meta but also included Meta's opposing argument that "states were cherry-picking features while ignoring safety tools it already offers, including teen accounts that default to private, time-limit reminders, parental supervision options, and restrictions on who can contact minors and what content they see." Reuters (Center) reported that the settlement payout only represents "about three to four months of profit" for the company.

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