Instagram and Facebook to impose two-hour daily limit and overnight lockout for US minors

Instagram and Facebook are preparing to impose new controls on how minors use Meta’s platforms after the company reached an agreement with a broad coalition of state attorneys general.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 51 other state attorneys general announced the agreement with Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company. It includes payments of up to $17 billion over a decade and measures intended to strengthen protections for minors. The proposed settlement remains subject to court approval. The case began on August 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The attorneys general argued that Meta designed certain Instagram and Facebook features in ways that could encourage compulsive use among children and teenagers, harming their physical and mental well-being. They also accused the company of misleading users and families about the existence and seriousness of those risks.

The main change for teenagers would be a default daily limit of two hours on Facebook and Instagram. Users under 18 would receive that limit automatically, and only their parents could authorize additional time. Reuters reported that Meta agreed to maintain the restriction for the next 10 years. If other major social networks adopt equivalent measures, the limit could fall to one hour a day, an arrangement designed to prevent teenagers from simply shifting their time to other applications.

Meta would also have to impose a default overnight block for users under 18, interrupting access between midnight and 6 a.m. The settlement’s base payment would be about $12 billion and could rise to $17 billion if other major social platforms accept similar obligations.