Meta has agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and introduce new restrictions for teen accounts to resolve claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed to encourage addictive use among children and that the company misled the public about platform safety.
The agreement, revealed in court documents, resolves claims filed by 29 U.S. states and avoids one of the most significant legal challenges against a major social media company over alleged harm to young users.
States Accused Meta of Violating Child Protection Laws
The states alleged that Meta violated consumer protection laws by creating features that encouraged excessive use among children and by collecting personal information from minors without proper parental consent.
Meta denied the allegations, stating that the company has invested heavily in improving safety features and giving parents greater control over how young users interact with its platforms.
According to the D.C. attorney general’s office, Meta will pay at least $12.1 billion over 10 years under the settlement. An additional $5 billion could be added if other major social media companies agree to implement similar child safety measures.
New Restrictions for Teen Users
As part of the agreement, Meta will introduce several changes aimed at creating safer experiences for teenagers on Facebook and Instagram.
- Daily time limits for younger users
- Restrictions on app access during certain nighttime hours
- Muted notifications during school hours
- Expanded parental control features
Meta said some measures, including nighttime restrictions, would only take effect if competing platforms such as YouTube and TikTok adopt similar policies. The company expects the changes to take approximately six months to implement.
Meta Calls for Industry-Wide Safety Standards
Meta said protecting teenagers requires cooperation across the entire social media industry because young users frequently move between different platforms.
The company urged TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar restrictions, arguing that individual platform changes alone would have limited impact.
“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said, adding that it wants to establish a new industry standard for responsible social media use among teenagers.
Meta also sent an open letter encouraging competitors and state officials to work together on broader protections for young users across social media platforms.
