Meta Platforms has agreed to impose daily time limits and overnight restrictions on Instagram and Facebook users under 18 as part of a proposed multistate settlement worth up to $17.1 billion. The agreement would resolve claims that the company used harmful design features, misled families about youth safety and violated federal children's privacy law.
A bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general announced the agreement Wednesday, more than a week after a federal trial began in Oakland, California. The trial centered on allegations that Meta designed Instagram and Facebook features to encourage compulsive use among children and teens while understating the risks to young users. The case is part of broader litigation over youth social media addiction and children's online safety.
The settlement would impose a combined two-hour daily limit on Instagram and Facebook for users under 18 by default, with exceptions for messaging. Access would be blocked between midnight and 6 a.m., and push notifications would be restricted overnight and during school hours. A verified parent could change the limits.
Other provisions would hide like and reaction totals from minors, bar cosmetic procedure filters, offer a nonpersonalized feed, and expand parental supervision tools. Meta would also have to strengthen age checks and improve systems for identifying and removing children under 13 from its platforms.
Participating states would receive up to $17.1 billion over 10 years, with the final amount depending on conditions tied to comparable settlements and protections across the social media industry. Wider adoption of similar safeguards could also trigger longer nighttime restrictions and tighter daily limits.
State consumer protection laws form one of the main legal foundations for the case. These laws generally prohibit unfair or deceptive business practices, including misleading consumers about a product or service, and allow attorneys general to challenge certain forms of business conduct. Regulators allege Meta violated those laws through engagement features that encouraged prolonged use and statements that understated risks to young users.
The lawsuit also relies on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, a federal law governing the collection of personal information from children under 13. Covered online services generally must notify parents and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting that information. Attorneys general claim Meta knew children under 13 were using Instagram and Facebook while their personal information was being collected without the required consent.
The Meta agreement comes days after the Justice Department announced a $400 million settlement with TikTok and ByteDance over alleged COPPA violations. The August 21 agreement resolved federal claims concerning TikTok's compliance with the children's privacy law and is one of the largest recoveries obtained in a COPPA case, according to the Justice Department.
If approved, Meta's restrictions would become part of a consent judgment, a negotiated agreement that becomes a court order. The settling states and the federal court would have authority to enforce its terms.
Compliance would be reviewed by an independent auditor with access to relevant records, data, systems and company personnel. Meta would be required to address material problems identified through those reviews and develop corrective plans when necessary.
Meta Chief Legal Officer C.J. Mahoney said the agreement would give parents greater control over how their children use the company's platforms. The company agreed to resolve the claims without admitting wrongdoing or liability.
Separate lawsuits brought by individuals, school districts, and other government entities remain pending against Meta and other social media companies over alleged harms to young users.
The proposed settlement remains subject to approval by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Northern District of California.
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