Meta’s $18-B bill comes with teen screen limits

Meta will pay up to $18 billion and impose new restrictions on how teenagers use Instagram and Facebook under settlements resolving claims that its platforms harmed children and encouraged compulsive use.

The agreements, announced 26 August 2026, ended a federal trial in California involving allegations that Meta designed its platforms to addict young users and misled the public about their safety. Meta denied wrongdoing.

Under the agreement, users under 18 in the US will face a default two-hour daily limit on Facebook and Instagram. Access will also be blocked from midnight to 6 a.m. unless a parent gives permission.

Most push notifications will be disabled for teenagers during school hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., while Meta must strengthen measures preventing minors from accessing age-restricted content.

The restrictions are set to remain in place for 10 years.

Meta will make guaranteed payments of about $12.7 billion, with another $5 billion tied to whether Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube adopt similar protections for minors.

The company agreed to pay about $16.7 billion to 47 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Texas separately secured more than $1 billion.

Another $459 million will settle privacy claims related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The deal does not require Meta to remove personalized recommendations or targeted advertising, two features critics have also linked to concerns over young users’ online experiences.

The settlement comes amid growing scrutiny of social media’s effects on children. Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat continue to face other lawsuits alleging their platforms contributed to anxiety, depression and other mental health problems among young users.