Meta reaches $16.7 billion settlement over claims platforms hook children

Meta has agreed to a landmark proposed settlement totaling $16.7 billion with US states, addressing claims that its social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, were intentionally designed to foster addiction among children.

The settlement, which requires judicial approval, introduces significant new restrictions for US users under the age of 18. Within six months, teenage accounts will be automatically locked out of Facebook and Instagram from midnight to 6 a.m. local time. While messaging and settings will remain accessible, they will be simplified to prevent extensive use. Push notifications will also be silenced from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Furthermore, teen accounts will default to a two-hour daily usage limit across Meta's apps, resetting at midnight. Messaging and long-form videos will not count towards this limit. Crucially, neither the nighttime curfew nor the daily time cap can be altered by a teenager without parental consent, and these limits can be further restricted.

If competing platforms adopt similar measures, Meta's restrictions will become even stricter: the overnight block will extend from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and the daily allowance will decrease to 60 minutes per app, capped at two hours across all platforms. Notifications will be silenced during school hours, defined as 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays between August 15 and June 15.

Meta also has one year to deploy a robust age assurance system. The system must ensure that no more than three percent of 13- to 15-year-olds are mistakenly identified as adults, and no more than 10 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds. Accounts with unverified ages after 14 days will be treated as teen accounts. The company will also face stricter protocols for users under 13, who are legally barred from the platforms. The settlement also mandates that parents supervising teen accounts will receive daily usage reports and have the ability to adjust settings.