Meta has agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion and restrict its social platforms for teenagers to settle lawsuits brought by about 40 US states over claims that Instagram and Facebook cause youth addiction.
The proposed settlement reached on Wednesday must still be approved by a federal judge in Oakland, California, before taking effect.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta welcomed the agreement, saying it would make social networks less dangerous for children. Bonta pointed to massive transformations that Meta has consented to carry out within a few months.
Screen time restrictions for teenagers
Under the terms of the deal, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram has agreed to curb its applications by default for users under 18 years of age. Within six months, teenagers in the affected states will be limited to a combined total of two hours per day across Instagram and Facebook.
Meta Platforms is based in Menlo Park, California, and operates several of the world's largest digital networks, with Facebook and Instagram together attracting billions of active users globally.
Nighttime limits and school notifications
The agreement also establishes a default night mode that will block access to Meta social networks for 13 to 18-year-olds between midnight and 6:00 a.m., although messaging services will remain accessible. Notifications from Meta social apps will also be cut off for minors during school hours.
These restrictions could tighten further to a one-hour daily limit and an overnight access block between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. if rival platforms Snap, TikTok and YouTube agree to adhere to the same rules.
TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, alongside Snapchat developer Snap and Google-owned YouTube, represent the main competing platforms for adolescent online attention in the United States.
Cosmetic filters and parental controls
As part of the concessions, Meta will hide like counters on its platforms and disable digital filters that imitate cosmetic surgery.
Only a parent whose account is linked to their teenager's account will be permitted to relax these default settings. An independent auditor will be appointed to verify that Meta strictly applies the measures.
State attorneys general across the United States frequently form multi-state legal coalitions to challenge corporate practices involving consumer protection, digital privacy and youth health safety.
