Meta has agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims brought by US states and territories accusing Facebook and Instagram of harming children and violating child privacy laws.
A California judge approved the settlement, which covers 48 states, the District of Columbia and three US territories. It is the largest payment Meta has agreed to in litigation over child safety on its platforms.
Under the agreement, Meta will also introduce new measures aimed at limiting teenagers’ use of Instagram and Facebook and giving parents greater control over their children’s accounts.
The measures include a default two-hour daily time limit for teens across Facebook and Instagram, which can only be disabled with parental permission. The company will also introduce a default night mode blocking notifications between midnight and 6am, as well as a school mode that limits notifications during school hours.
Other changes include hiding likes on teen profiles and content they interact with, warnings after extended periods of use, an option to view feeds without algorithmic recommendations and the ability to disable video autoplay.
Meta will also restrict access to certain extreme make-up filters for teenage users.
The settlement requires Meta to make the payment in annual instalments over 10 years. The company has denied wrongdoing.
The case followed a 2023 lawsuit filed by 29 states, which accused Meta of knowingly allowing large numbers of children to use its platforms while failing to adequately protect them from potential harms.
During proceedings, state lawyers cited internal Meta research and communications that they said showed the company was aware of concerns surrounding teenagers’ use of its platforms.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta welcomed the settlement, describing it as a significant step toward holding social media companies accountable for the impact of their platforms on children.
However, New Mexico was not part of the agreement. A federal judge in the state recently found Meta liable in a separate case and ordered the company to pay nearly $1 billion in combined penalties.
The settlement could also increase pressure on other major social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat, to adopt similar safeguards for young users.
Meta said the new measures represent a broader approach to improving teen safety, while state officials urged other technology companies to follow suit.
