Meta will pay about $18 billion and restrict social media for teenagers
Meta has agreed with a coalition of US attorneys general to settle years-long claims related to the impact of Instagram and Facebook on children and teenagers. The company estimates the payments under the agreement at about $18 billion and commits to introducing strict restrictions on the use of its social networks by minors.
The agreement was announced on August 26 and still needs court approval. It covers claims by authorities from dozens of US states and territories, which accused Meta of using features that promote excessive engagement of minors in Instagram and Facebook, as well as failing to adequately inform users about the associated risks.
One of the main changes will be time restrictions. For users under 18, a total limit of two hours per day will be set for Facebook and Instagram. A teenager will not be able to disable it independently—parental permission will be required. The time in both social networks will be counted, including when using multiple accounts.
After every 15 minutes of continuous use, teenagers will receive a reminder to take a break. Additional warnings are provided after 60 and 90 minutes of total time on social networks.
Instagram and Facebook will be blocked at night
By default, access to the main features of Instagram and Facebook for minors will be blocked from midnight to 6:00 AM. During this time, they will not be able to view the feed, Stories, Reels, and other sections.
During the school day, Meta will also restrict notifications: from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, push notifications will be turned off by default. An exception is provided for personal messages, as well as notifications related to account security.
At the same time, private messaging is not subject to the daily limit, night block, or school mode. Meta explains this by the need to preserve the ability of teenagers to contact relatives and friends.
The agreement also provides for other changes. By default, the number of likes and other reactions will be hidden from teenagers. The company will prohibit filters that simulate cosmetic surgery or excessive changes in appearance, strengthen user age verification, and expand parental controls.
In addition, teenagers will be able to set a non-personalized feed without algorithmic recommendations and disable autoplay of content. Parents will receive additional information about their children's use of social networks and attempts to change protective settings.
How much will Meta pay
Meta itself estimates the payment under the agreement at about $18 billion. The money is supposed to be transferred over ten years. About $12.7 billion should go to the states and territories participating in the agreement, and about $5.3 billion is related to fulfilling additional conditions.
However, the American attorneys general have given a somewhat different estimate—up to $17.1 billion. For example, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr called the agreement the largest consumer protection settlement with a technology company in US history, excluding tobacco industry settlements.
That is, the final amount of payments will depend on fulfillment of the agreement's conditions. Meta also warned investors that in the third quarter of 2026 it intends to record about $10 billion in legal expenses related to the deal.
The lawsuit against Meta began in August
The agreement was the result of a multi-year confrontation between Meta and US authorities. Attorneys general accused the company of designing Instagram and Facebook to keep minors on the platforms as long as possible, despite known risks to their mental and physical health.
The federal lawsuit was filed back in 2023. In August 2026, the case reached a full trial in Oakland: opening statements began on August 18. The agreement, reached a few days after the start of the trial, is supposed to settle the claims of the participating states and end this part of the litigation after approval by a federal judge.
Most of the new rules are expected to remain in effect for up to ten years. Compliance with the terms will be monitored by an independent auditor, who will annually verify Meta's fulfillment of its commitments for the first five years.
Based on materials from: Meta, Office of the Attorney General of Georgia, Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
