Meta Reaches US Agreement to Limit Teen Facebook and Instagram Use
Meta has agreed to new restrictions on teenage users in the United States, including a maximum daily time limit and overnight bans without parental permission. The settlement also resolves federal lawsuits regarding addictive social media features and a major privacy violation.
Tech giant Meta has reached a significant agreement in the United States regarding the restriction of Facebook and Instagram usage among teenagers. Announced on August 26, the new measures are designed to address concerns surrounding the platform's impact on young users. Under the terms of the agreement, a strict daily maximum time limit of two hours has been established for teenagers using both Facebook and Instagram.
In addition to the daily time restriction, the agreement implements specific nighttime boundaries. Teenagers will be prohibited from using these social media platforms between midnight and six in the morning unless they have explicit permission from a parent or guardian. Furthermore, Meta will adjust its notification settings to minimize distractions during the academic day. The company will keep most push notifications turned off from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon while school is in session.
This major settlement successfully resolves federal lawsuits that had been brought against Meta. The legal actions specifically accused the company of designing its social media platforms in a way that creates addictive behaviors among children and young users. Despite agreeing to the new operational restrictions and settling the litigation, Meta has not admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
Separately, the broader legal resolutions involving the company include a substantial financial penalty. Meta is required to pay a total of 459 million dollars in compensation. This specific payout is designated to resolve privacy violation allegations stemming from the infamous Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
