Meta Agrees to $18 Billion Settlement Over Teen Safety

Meta $18 billion settlement will bring major changes to Facebook and Instagram, including daily limits, nighttime blocks, and stronger parental controls for teenagers.

Meta has reached a settlement with a bipartisan coalition of US state attorneys general, ending a major legal battle over the impact of Facebook and Instagram on younger users.

The attorneys general sued Meta in 2023, alleging the company designed features to maximize engagement among young users while misleading parents and users about safety risks. The lawsuit also accused Meta of collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.

The trial began earlier this week before the two sides reached an agreement.

Meta will pay around $18 billion over 10 years

Under the settlement, Meta will pay approximately $18 billion over the next decade.

Participating states will receive around 70% of the total, or approximately $12.7 billion. Meta also expects to record roughly $10 billion in legal expenses related to the agreement during Q3 2026.

However, Meta will only release the remaining $5.3 billion if YouTube and TikTok introduce comparable protections and make similar payments.

The unusual structure gives Meta’s biggest social media rivals a financial incentive to follow the same framework.

Facebook and Instagram teens will get a two-hour daily limit

The settlement introduces several new protections for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram.

Teen accounts will receive a cumulative two-hour daily limit across both platforms. Teens will need parental permission to disable the restriction.

Facebook and Instagram will also block teen access between midnight and 6 a.m., while notifications will remain muted during school hours.

Other changes include regular screen-time reminders, stronger age verification, expanded parental controls, autoplay controls, and an option to use a non-algorithmic feed.

Meta will also allow teens to hide like counts and restrict certain filters and types of content.

Direct messaging receives an important exception. Messages will not count toward the daily time limit, and teens can still access them during nighttime and school-hour restrictions.

Meta has already expanded other safeguards for younger users. For example, Meta AI can now alert parents when teenagers discuss suicide, self-harm, or other harmful subjects on Instagram.

Meta wants YouTube and TikTok to follow

Meta argues that platform-specific limits cannot fully address the problem because teenagers can simply move to another social network.

The agreement therefore encourages YouTube and TikTok to adopt measures that include a one-hour daily limit, nighttime restrictions, and stronger age-assurance systems.

Meta has publicly called on both companies to join the framework, potentially turning the settlement into a wider industry standard for teen social media use.

Pressure on major social platforms has increased throughout 2026. Meta, TikTok, YouTube and other companies have faced similar lawsuits over alleged harm to young users.

Meanwhile, Meta continues updating its other services. The company recently improved WhatsApp with smarter polls and faster group chat features.