Meta to Pay Up to $18 Billion Over Social Media Harm to Children: What Will Change for Teenagers on Facebook and Instagram

Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — has agreed to a multibillion-dollar settlement of lawsuits brought by U.S. states that accused the company of creating platforms capable of fostering compulsive social media use among children and teenagers. UNN reports this, citing Reuters and statements by U.S. state attorneys general.

Details

The total value of the package of agreements could reach approximately $18 billion.

The main multistate settlement provides for payments of up to approximately $17.1 billion. Part of the amount is guaranteed, while the remainder will depend, among other things, on whether Meta’s competitors — TikTok and YouTube — agree to introduce similar restrictions for underage users.

Separately, the company agreed to pay more than $459 million to resolve some claims related to the Cambridge Analytica case. Taking into account other agreements, including a separate settlement with Texas, Meta itself estimates the total package at approximately $18 billion.

The company also said that, as a result of the agreements, it plans to recognize approximately $10 billion in legal expenses in the third quarter of 2026.

The lawsuits primarily concerned the impact of Facebook and Instagram on minors. The states alleged that Meta used features that encouraged children and teenagers to remain on the platforms as long as possible, while providing users and parents with insufficient information about potential risks.

Another group of claims concerned the collection of personal data from children under 13 without proper parental consent, which, according to the plaintiffs, could have violated the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA.

As part of the settlement, Meta agreed to introduce a number of additional restrictions for users under 18. In particular, Facebook and Instagram would have a combined usage limit of two hours per day. A minor would need parental permission to increase or remove the limit.

Access to the main Facebook and Instagram feeds is also planned to be restricted at night — from midnight to 6:00 a.m. Push notifications for minors are to be turned off by default from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., while during school hours — approximately from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. — most notifications will also be limited.

After every 15 minutes of continuous social media use, teenagers are to be shown special reminders about the need to take a break. Additional notifications are предусмотрed after 60 and 90 minutes spent on the platforms during the day.

Meta must also give minors the option to set a non-personalized chronological feed as their default, disable autoplay, and hide the number of likes and reactions.

Separate requirements concern filters and potentially harmful content. The company must strengthen restrictions on material related to self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, and bullying, as well as limit the use of filters that simulate cosmetic surgery.

In addition, Meta has undertaken to improve its user age-verification system, more actively identify teenagers who provide a false adult age, and delete accounts belonging to children under 13.

At the same time, the agreement does not require Meta to completely abandon personalized algorithmic recommendations or targeted advertising for users.

Some of Meta’s financial obligations are directly linked to actions by TikTok and YouTube. If those platforms also agree to comparable restrictions for minors, the requirements imposed on Facebook and Instagram could become stricter.

In particular, the daily limit could potentially be reduced to approximately one hour for each platform, while the nighttime mode could be extended to the period from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Context

The U.S. states began a large-scale investigation into the impact of Meta’s social media platforms on minors in 2021. In October 2023, dozens of attorneys general filed a federal lawsuit against the company, while several other states brought separate cases in court.

In August 2026, proceedings began in federal court in Oakland concerning claims by several states related to consumer protection and compliance with child privacy laws.

The parties reached an agreement after the hearings had already begun. Among those who had testified was Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg was also expected to testify, but the settlement was reached earlier.

Meta did not admit to any violations or legal liability. The company said the agreement should help establish uniform rules for protecting teenagers on social media.

At the same time, the settlement does not close all legal cases against Meta. Thousands of lawsuits by users, school districts, and other plaintiffs concerning the possible negative impact of social media on children and teenagers continue to be heard in the United States.

Recall

U.S. states and thousands of young users are suing Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap, accusing the social media companies of creating platforms that foster addiction and harm children and teenagers