Meta agrees to $18 billion settlement with 48 states to restrict teen social media use

This settlement mandates specific platform design changes for all U.S. users under 18 for the next decade, directly impacting how minors interact with Meta's social media services.

• •Meta reached an $18 billion settlement with 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
• •The settlement requires Meta to enforce a two-hour daily time limit for users under 18.
• •Meta must block access to Instagram and Facebook for users under 18 between midnight and 6 a.m.
• •The agreement mandates hiding 'like' counts for teen accounts.
• •Meta must improve age-verification technology using internal and third-party tools, subject to outside audits.
• •If a user is identified as under 13, Meta must check the ages of their friends on the platform.
• •The settlement terms apply only to users in the United States.
• •Most changes are set to remain in place for 10 years.
• •The settlement requires final approval by a judge.
• •Features like turning off video autoplay and chronological feeds remain opt-in rather than default.