Meta has agreed to restrict teenagers from using its social media platforms at night and introduce a default two-hour daily limit on their combined use of the company’s apps.
The measures form part of a $16.7 billion settlement reached with US states over allegations that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to keep young users engaged, failed to adequately disclose potential risks and unlawfully collected personal information from children under 13.
The agreement represents a major new step in efforts to limit teenagers’ exposure to social media and curb prolonged use of Meta’s platforms. Brandspur Brand News reports that the restrictions will apply across the company’s family of apps rather than being limited to a single service.
Under the settlement, teen accounts will be subject to overnight blocks, preventing young users from accessing the affected apps during designated night-time hours. A default cumulative daily usage cap of two hours will also be introduced.
The case centres on claims that Meta deliberately developed features intended to encourage sustained engagement among young users. The states also alleged that the company misled the public about risks associated with its platforms and improperly gathered data from children below the age of 13.
Meta’s agreement comes amid increasing scrutiny of how major social media companies design and operate services used by children and teenagers. Regulators and governments have increasingly focused on issues including excessive screen time, children’s privacy and the potential effects of social media on young users.
For families, the proposed restrictions could mean less reliance on parents to manually monitor how long teenagers spend on Meta’s platforms, as the two-hour limit would operate as the default setting.
The settlement also places renewed attention on the responsibility of technology companies to build stronger safeguards into platforms used by minors, particularly where business models depend heavily on user engagement.
Further details of the agreement and its implementation were expected to be released subsequently.
