Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and make sweeping changes to Instagram and Facebook as part of a landmark settlement over allegations that its platforms were intentionally designed to keep children and teenagers engaged in potentially harmful ways.
The multistate settlement announced Wednesday resolves claims from states and territories that accused Meta of designing addictive features, misleading parents and the public about risks to young people, and contributing to harms affecting children and teenagers.
The agreement is one of the largest consumer protection settlements in U.S. history and still requires court approval.
Meta has denied wrongdoing.
What changes for teenagers?
The settlement could dramatically change the way Americans under 18 experience Instagram and Facebook.
According to the terms announced by participating attorneys general, Meta will introduce a combined two-hour daily limit for minors across Instagram and Facebook. Parents will be able to give permission to change the restriction.
The agreement also requires several other protections:
- Facebook and Instagram feeds will generally be blocked for minors between midnight and 6 a.m.
- Push notifications will be silenced between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
- During the school year, push notifications will also be restricted on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- Young users will receive prompts after every 15 minutes of continuous use, as well as after reaching 60 and 90 minutes of total daily use.
- Teens will have the ability to choose a non-algorithmic feed.
- Like counts and other social-comparison features will be limited.
- Certain beauty and cosmetic filters will be restricted.
- Meta will strengthen age-verification measures and parental controls.
Direct messaging will be excluded from some of the time restrictions so teenagers can continue communicating with friends and family.
Meta confirmed the agreement Wednesday, saying the new protections will automatically apply to users under 18 in participating states and territories.
Why were states suing Meta?
The legal battle stretches back several years.
In October 2023, a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general sued Meta, alleging the company designed features on Instagram and Facebook to maximize the time young people spent using the platforms while publicly downplaying potential risks.
The lawsuit alleged that Meta used psychologically manipulative features to encourage compulsive and extended use among young people.
States also accused the company of collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.
The case finally went to trial earlier this month, with New York Attorney General Letitia James saying the states intended to hold Meta accountable for what they described as addictive and deceptive design practices.
The settlement brings that closely watched trial to an end, pending judicial approval.
How much will Meta actually pay?
This is where the $17.1 billion figure needs some explanation.
Meta will pay at least $12.1 billion over a 10-year period to resolve the states’ lawsuits.
Another $5 billion could be added if other major social media companies agree to comparable protections, bringing Meta’s total payment to approximately $17.1 billion.
Reuters reported the maximum settlement at approximately $16.68 billion, while participating attorneys general describe the agreement as worth up to $17.1 billion.
Either way, the settlement ranks among the largest ever involving a technology company.
Meta wants TikTok and YouTube to follow
Meta is also calling on its competitors to adopt similar restrictions.
In its announcement of the agreement, the company specifically urged TikTok and YouTube to implement similar protections.
Meta argues that restricting young people’s use of one platform may simply cause them to spend more time on another.
If other major platforms adopt comparable restrictions, some provisions of Meta’s settlement could become even stronger, including reducing daily limits to one hour per platform.
A bigger question about social media
The settlement represents more than a massive financial penalty.
For years, much of the responsibility for controlling children’s social media use has fallen on parents and young people themselves: put the phone down, limit screen time or exercise more self-control.
This agreement shifts some of that responsibility toward the companies designing the platforms.
Features intended to keep users scrolling — algorithms, notifications, autoplay, visible likes and endless feeds — are no longer being treated simply as neutral parts of the social media experience.
They are increasingly becoming the subject of regulation, litigation and public-health scrutiny.
And the settlement leaves behind a question that may extend well beyond Meta:
If these features now need to be restricted to protect children, what does that tell us about the way social media was designed in the first place?
