Meta Agrees to Two-Hour Daily Limit for Teens Under $17.1bn Settlement
Meta has agreed to introduce stricter safeguards for young users on Facebook and Instagram as part of a proposed multi-billion-dollar settlement over allegations that its platforms were designed to encourage excessive use among teenagers.
Under the agreement, teen accounts would face a mandatory two-hour daily usage limit, while access to the apps and push notifications would be restricted during late-night hours and school periods.
Meta would also be required to reduce social comparison features, including likes, on teen accounts and provide an option for a non-personalised feed that does not use algorithms to target young users.
The proposed measures would also include stronger age verification to prevent children under 13 from accessing the platforms and systems to identify users under 18.
The settlement, reported at about $17.1 billion, would also fund youth online safety initiatives and resolve privacy claims brought by participating states.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the agreement, if approved, would make social media safer for children and families.
From a child safeguarding perspective, the proposed restrictions are significant because they address several risks associated with children’s social media use, including excessive screen time, late-night engagement, targeted algorithms and exposure to potentially harmful content.
The agreement also requires an independent third-party auditor to monitor Meta’s compliance. The company would be prohibited from making false, misleading or deceptive claims about its safety features.
However, Meta said part of the settlement is conditional on YouTube and TikTok making comparable financial contributions and adopting similar measures on time limits, night-time restrictions and age verification.
Meta denied wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
If approved, the measures could represent a major shift towards stronger safeguards for children and teenagers across major social media platforms.
