Meta agrees major changes to Instagram and Facebook to protect teens

Meta will introduce daily limits and overnight blocks for US teens after settling a landmark child safety lawsuit for up to $18bn.

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Published: September 1, 2026 at 12:02 PM

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Meta has agreed to make significant changes to Instagram and Facebook for teenage users in the US after settling a landmark lawsuit brought by 29 states over alleged harm to children.

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The agreement, which could see Meta pay up to $18bn, includes new protections such as daily usage limits, stopping notifications during school hours and blocking access during certain overnight hours. Meta has denied wrongdoing.

The changes are particularly significant for families because they affect some of the everyday features and ways young people use the platforms.

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What is Meta changing for teenage users?

Under the settlement, Meta has agreed to introduce a range of measures designed to reduce the amount of time teenagers spend on Instagram and Facebook and limit their use at certain times.

The measures include:

The safeguards will apply nationwide in the US, although the settlement still needs court approval.

California attorney general Rob Bonta said the agreement would "make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families".

Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families.

Rob Bonta, attorney general of California

Bonta said Meta had agreed to make "massive transformations" that would reduce the risk of harm from its platforms and that the changes would be introduced within months.

Why did Meta face the lawsuit?

California and 28 other US states accused Meta of deliberately designing Instagram and Facebook in ways that could encourage young people to keep using them, alleging this contributed to mental health problems including anxiety, depression and suicide.

The states also alleged that Meta collected data from children under 13 without parental permission, in breach of federal and state laws.

Meta denied the allegations throughout the proceedings and has continued to deny wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

What does the settlement mean for families?

The agreement marks the first time in the US that Meta has been required to change key features affecting the everyday experience of its users as part of a settlement of this kind.

The settlement could be worth up to $18bn, with the money divided between the states over 10 years if approved by the court. California is expected to receive between $1.5bn and $2.1bn, while Colorado will receive about $615m.

Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser said the measures secured through the settlement were "very meaningful" and focused on protecting children.

The relief we are getting in this settlement is very meaningful and well beyond what any court has ordered or is likely to order. The focus of this case was to protect our kids.

Phil Weiser, attorney general of Colorado

Meta says other social media platforms need to follow suit

Meta chief legal officer CJ Mahoney said the new measures would only be effective if other social media companies introduced similar protections.

He called on TikTok, Snap and YouTube to adopt the framework, arguing that teenagers move between multiple platforms.

"As a parent, I’m proud of both the work Meta has done to protect kids historically, and of this new groundbreaking agreement," Mahoney said. "But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta’s lead."

The companies face thousands of other lawsuits in the US from families, individuals, school districts and state attorneys general relating to alleged social media harms.

The trial ended after just four days

The case was being heard in federal court in Oakland, California, and had been expected to last several weeks. Instead, proceedings lasted just four days before the settlement was reached.

Among those who gave evidence was former Meta safety engineer and whistleblower Arturo Béjar, who alleged that the company had a "don’t ask, don’t tell" approach to child safety.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had been listed as a potential witness but did not testify before the settlement was agreed.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri also faced questioning about the company's approach to teen safety. When asked about the disclosure of statistics relating to how many young people use certain safety features, Mosseri said: "We don’t publish every single stat."

The settlement now awaits court approval before the agreed changes and payments can take effect.

Meta has also faced other legal action relating to child safety, including a separate case brought by New Mexico in which it was ordered to pay nearly $1bn to the state.

Meta's settlement does not resolve the wider debate around children's use of social media, with TikTok, Snap, YouTube and other platforms continuing to face legal challenges over alleged harms to young people. Meta has called for those companies to introduce similar safeguards, meaning the impact of the agreement could extend beyond Instagram and Facebook if other platforms follow its lead.

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Meta’s changes will initially apply to teenage users in the US, so parents in the UK should not expect the new limits to automatically appear on their children's accounts here.

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