Meta has agreed to introduce stricter protections for users under 18 on Instagram and Facebook as part of an $18 billion settlement over claims involving children’s safety. The changes include a two-hour daily usage limit, nighttime access restrictions, school-hour notification controls, non-algorithmic feeds, and additional parental controls.
The protections will automatically apply to underage users in participating U.S. states and territories, pending judicial approval. Most of the requirements will remain in place for 10 years.
Teens Will Face Daily and Nighttime Limits
Under Meta’s official agreement, teenagers will have a default two-hour daily limit across Facebook and Instagram. Time spent on both services will count toward the same total, including across multiple accounts when Meta detects them.
Teens will be locked out after reaching the limit unless a parent gives permission to disable it. Meta will also introduce Night Mode, which blocks underage users from accessing, posting, or viewing content between midnight and 6 a.m.
Users will receive prompts after every 15 minutes of continuous use, alongside prompts based on total daily usage. During school hours, set between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., push notifications will be muted except for direct messages and account security or safety alerts.
Parents Get More Control Over Feeds and Autoplay
Teen users will be able to make a non-algorithmic feed their default instead of automatically receiving content personalized by Meta’s recommendation systems. Parents and guardians can also require their teens to use that setting.
Meta will let teens and parents disable autoplay, requiring users to tap or swipe before viewing additional content. Like and reaction counts will also be hidden by default on posts viewed or published by underage users.
The company is expanding existing filter restrictions by blocking extreme makeup filters for teens, alongside its current restrictions on cosmetic surgery filters.
Meta also said it will strengthen its systems for identifying people who are likely between 13 and 17 even when their accounts list an adult birth date.
Part of Settlement Depends on TikTok and YouTube
Meta published an open letter to TikTok and YouTube asking both companies to adopt similar daily limits, nighttime restrictions, school-hour notification controls, and continuous-use prompts.
The $18 billion settlement will be distributed over 10 years. About 30%, or approximately $5.3 billion, is conditional on TikTok and YouTube implementing specified protections and meeting other settlement conditions.
Meta will continue defaulting teens into private accounts and restricting interactions with accounts it considers inappropriate or suspicious. The company also said it will continue limiting contact between teenagers and adults its systems identify as potentially suspicious.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.