Meta agrees to pay up to $18 billion in U.S. youth-harm settlement

Meta announced agreements with attorneys general representing 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and three territories over allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed children and teenagers. The company will pay the states $12.7 billion over 10 years; the amount could rise to $18 billion if other platforms join the settlement.

As part of the agreement, Meta says it will introduce a two-hour daily limit for teens, turn off access to its apps at night by default, disable notifications during school hours, send prompts every 15 minutes of continuous use and add new parental controls.

Meta also plans to urge other companies to adopt similar restrictions and promote the initiative through full-page advertisements in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. The measures are being introduced amid lawsuits rather than a new law, while their potential effect on competition with TikTok and YouTube remains uncertain.