Meta Agrees to Set Time Limits for Kids Using Instagram, Facebook in Major Legal Settlement

In a major legal settlement, Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to pay as much as $18 billion and set strict time limits for Instagram and Facebook for users under the age of 18.

The settlement covers claims made by 47 states, with California attorney general Rob Bonta among the AG’s leading the case. The penalty will be paid over 10 years, and will be earmarked by each state to help address mental health and social media addiction for kids and teens.

But it also includes an agreement by Meta to institute new limits for users under 18, include a strict two hour time limit that can only be turned off with a parent’s permission; A default night mode which makes the apps inaccessible between midnight and 6 a.m.; School mode, which will block notifications during typical school hours; As well as other functions and features meant to give parents more control and to limit overuse by kids and teens. Related Stories Business YouTube Changes How It Counts Views -- But Not What Actually Counts TV David E. Kelley Gets Into Live Streaming -- Salmon Included

The company agreed to institute the time limit and night mode features for five years, however Meta is also calling on TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same policies, and if they do it will extend it to at least 10 years.

“I’m pleased to announce that Meta has reached an agreement with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general from around the country on a new set of rules governing teens’ use of social media,” eta chief legal affairs officer C.J. Mahoney said in a statement. “The framework we’ve negotiated will empower parents to easily manage how their children access our platforms. Our new Time Limit commitments, Night Mode features and usage limits during school hours set the right path forward for our whole industry, but this framework will only work if all our peers join us. Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution. We therefore call on our industry peers, TikTok and YouTube, to implement this new framework, right away. As a parent, I’m proud of both the work Meta has done to protect kids historically, and of this new groundbreaking agreement. But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta’s lead.

“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,” attorney general Rob Bonta said in a statement of his own. “Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months. We are talking about time limits, stopping notifications during school, a block on the app during critical overnight hours, bans on plastic surgery filters, and so much more. Alongside a bipartisan coalition of my colleagues, I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram — right now, no more waiting.”