What Does the Meta Settlement Require for Teen and Child Safety on Facebook and Instagram?
Meta has reached a multistate settlement that would require new protections for young Facebook and Instagram users, including age-assurance measures, teen time limits, nighttime restrictions, parental controls and independent oversight.
The agreement also establishes separate requirements aimed at identifying users under age 13.
Meta denies the states’ allegations and does not admit liability or wrongdoing under the settlement.
What Does the Meta Settlement Require?
The settlement requires Meta to change how Facebook and Instagram identify and protect young users.
Its requirements distinguish between Teen Users ages 13–17 and U13 users under age 13.
Teen Users Ages 13–17
Teen accounts will receive default time limits, nighttime restrictions, content protections and additional parental controls.
Many of these settings cannot be made less restrictive without approval from a supervising parent.
Children Under Age 13
The settlement requires Meta to strengthen its systems for identifying users under 13 and placing identified accounts into its U13 enforcement process.
Meta must also develop and test an age-assurance model specifically designed to predict whether users are under 13.
What Are Meta’s New Time Limits for Teens?
Meta must initially default Teen Users to a maximum of two hours of covered use per day across its social media platforms. Messaging and certain long-form content are excluded from the calculation.
The agreement also establishes a potential second phase in which the default becomes 60 minutes per Meta platform and 120 minutes cumulatively across Meta platforms.
Can Teens Change the Time Limit?
Not on their own if the change makes the setting less restrictive. A supervising parent must approve changes that allow additional use.
Will Meta Restrict Teen Social Media Use at Night?
Yes. Meta must initially restrict covered functionality for Teen Users between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. and generally disable push notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
A potential second phase would expand the default restricted-access period to 10 p.m. through 7 a.m. A supervising parent must approve less restrictive settings.
Does the Settlement Address Social Media Use During School?
Yes. Meta must disable most push notifications for Teen Users during designated school hours by default.
Supervising parents must also be able to restrict access to functionality other than messaging during school hours.
What Content Protections Must Meta Provide for Teens?
Meta must maintain measures designed to limit Teen Users’ exposure to age-inappropriate content and accounts.
The agreement also requires Meta to regularly evaluate teen exposure to inappropriate or harmful content and experiences and use research and expert consultation to inform its safety measures.
What Parental Controls Does the Settlement Require?
Supervising parents must receive additional information and controls over a Teen User’s Meta accounts.
These include information about time spent on Meta platforms and certain social connections, as well as controls over time-management and content settings.
Meta must also notify supervising parents in specified circumstances, including certain interactions with adults and the creation or linking of secondary accounts.
How Will Meta Verify Users’ Ages?
Meta must maintain an Age Assurance Framework designed to determine whether users are teens or under 13.
The agreement sets testing and performance requirements for age-assurance methods and requires annual third-party testing. Users whose ages have not yet been assessed also receive specified default protections.
What Happens to Users Under 13?
Meta must use measures designed to detect under-13 users and place identified accounts into its U13 enforcement process.
Within one year, Meta must also develop, train and initially test a dedicated model designed to predict whether users are under 13. The agreement requires ongoing testing, reporting and independent auditing related to Meta’s U13 enforcement efforts.
Who Will Monitor Meta’s Compliance?
An independent third-party auditor will review Meta’s implementation of the settlement’s requirements.
The auditor can obtain relevant non-privileged documents, data, systems access and employee information necessary to assess compliance.
What Does This Mean for Meta Tech and Governance Teams?
The settlement turns youth safety requirements into ongoing technical and governance obligations.
Meta teams will need to operationalize age assurance, account restrictions, parental controls, monitoring and audit requirements across covered platforms.
How Much Will Meta Pay?
Meta must pay $75 million to reimburse participating states for investigation and litigation costs, in addition to guaranteed and potentially contingent payments established by the settlement.
Exhibit B lists approximately $1.166 billion in guaranteed payments per installment and approximately $502.4 million in potential contingent payments per installment, across 10 installments.
The maximum listed amount across those installments is approximately $16.68 billion if the conditions for all contingent payments are satisfied.
How Long Will the Meta Settlement Last?
Most obligations expire 10 years after the settlement’s effective date, unless the agreement specifies otherwise.
The agreement also contains provisions that can give participating states the benefit of certain stronger youth protections Meta agrees to in qualifying future state settlements.
Did Meta Admit That It Harmed Children?
No. Meta does not admit liability, wrongdoing or a violation of law under the settlement.
The agreement resolves the participating states’ claims without a final adjudication of the disputed factual and legal issues.
What Is the Significance of the Meta Settlement?
The settlement creates enforceable requirements governing how Meta identifies and protects young Facebook and Instagram users in participating states.
For teens, those requirements directly affect platform design, time limits, nighttime access, content and parental controls. For children under 13, the agreement places greater emphasis on age detection and enforcement designed to prevent underage users from maintaining accounts.
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