Meta’s $18 billion settlement: Can Meta really implement teen controls and screen limits?

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The social media giant is both rolling out new features and building on existing features designed to create a safer and less addictive experience for Facebook and Instagram users under 18 [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS

The story so far: On August 26, 2026, Meta agreed to an approximately $18 billion settlement with dozens of U.S. states in annual instalments over 10 years, and announced stricter controls in its apps for teen users. The settlement is the culmination of a lawsuit brought by California and 28 other U.S. states alleging that Facebook and Instagram are harmful for children and that they illegally collect personal data. While several parents and child health advocates welcomed the new child protection controls, enforcing them will be a lot more challenging.

The social media giant is both rolling out new features and building on existing features designed to create a safer and less addictive experience for Facebook and Instagram users under 18.

These measures are set to automatically apply in participating U.S. states and territories. 52 attorneys general covering U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia have joined the agreement.

Arguably, the biggest win for parents and the biggest concession by Meta is a default two-hour daily time limit across Facebook and Instagram. Teens can only turn this off with a parent’s permission.

Furthermore, a ‘Night Mode’ will block app users between 12 AM and 6 AM, so teens cannot post or view their Feed, Stories, Reels, or the Explore section. Similarly, the School Mode between 8 AM and 3 PM will mute notifications by default.

Teens are set to receive multiple prompts after every 15 minutes of continuous screen time on Facebook/Instagram, apart from prompts that come after their total daily usage reaches 60 minutes and 90 minutes.

To directly address addictive video features, Meta is giving teens (and their parents) the ability to choose a non-algorithmic feed as their default, as well as the ability to turn off Autoplay.

As for steps to combat unhealthy comparisons and anxiety over appearances and popularity, teen users will no longer see the number of likes and reactions on posts by default. Meta is also expanding its policy to block teens from using “extreme makeup filters,” adding to a previous block against cosmetic surgery filters for teens.

Meta reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening existing controls in order to catch underage account users, as well as teens falsely entering adult birthdays. The company claimed it will continue placing teens into private accounts on Instagram and activating private default settings on Facebook, apart from restricting “potentially suspicious adults” from reaching out to them.

Meta also said it would encourage parents to set up its supervision tools, and give them new controls and insights.

This is the crux of the matter.