Meta has agreed to introduce a default two-hour daily time limit for users under 18 across Instagram and Facebook as part of a major settlement with a bipartisan group of U.S. state attorneys general. The limit will apply cumulatively across the two platforms, meaning time spent scrolling on Instagram and Facebook will count toward the same two-hour allowance. The restriction can only be disabled with a parent’s permission and remains subject to judicial approval.
The agreement also includes a default overnight block, muted notifications during school hours, stronger age-assurance technology, additional parental controls and changes to algorithmic feeds, autoplay, visible likes and certain beauty filters. Meta says the measures will automatically apply to under-18 users in participating U.S. states and territories once the agreement receives court approval. The settlement involves 52 attorneys general and includes a payment of approximately $18 billion over 10 years, although state attorneys general have described the settlement value in some jurisdictions as up to $17.1 billion.
Meta Teen Instagram And Facebook Limits At A Glance
The two-hour daily limit is the most visible part of the agreement, but Meta is introducing a much broader package of restrictions aimed at reducing excessive social-media use among teenagers.
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Instagram and Facebook |
| Users covered | Under 18 |
| Default daily limit | 2 hours |
| Limit structure | Cumulative across Instagram and Facebook |
| Override | Parent’s permission |
| Night Mode | Midnight–6 a.m. |
| School Mode | Notifications muted 8 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Usage prompts | Every 15 minutes of continuous use |
| Additional prompts | At 60 and 90 minutes |
| Settlement parties | 52 attorneys general |
| Settlement payment | Approximately $18 billion |
| Judicial approval | Required |
| Initial duration of time/night limits | 5 years |
| Potential stronger duration | 10 years, if peers adopt similar rules |
Meta says most of the agreement’s provisions are required to remain in place for 10 years, while the initial daily time limit and Night Mode provisions have a five-year commitment that can become stricter if other major platforms adopt comparable measures.
Two-Hour Limit Will Apply Across Both Apps
The new limit is designed to prevent teenagers from simply switching between Facebook and Instagram to extend their daily usage.
For example, if a teenager spends 90 minutes scrolling through Instagram, only 30 minutes of the daily allowance would remain for Facebook.
Instagram: 90 minutes
Facebook: 30 minutes
----------------------
Total: 120 minutes
Daily limit reachedMeta says the cumulative calculation can also take multiple accounts into consideration if its systems detect that they belong to the same teenager. Direct messaging is excluded from the time-limit restrictions so that young users can continue communicating with friends and family.
Parents Will Control Any Override
The two-hour restriction will be enabled by default.
Teenagers will not be able to simply switch it off themselves. A parent will have to give permission for the restriction to be disabled.
This gives parents a greater role in determining how much time their children spend on Meta’s platforms.
Parent Control Structure
| Feature | Default | Parent Control |
|---|---|---|
| Two-hour daily limit | Enabled | Can override |
| Night Mode | Enabled | Can override |
| School-hour notifications | Muted | Can adjust |
| Non-personalized feed | Available | Can make default |
| Autoplay | Can be disabled | Can require off |
| Usage monitoring | Enabled | Additional insights |
Meta says parents will also receive additional notifications and insights, including alerts when a teen links a secondary account or attempts to change certain protective settings.
Instagram And Facebook Will Be Blocked Overnight
Meta will introduce a default Night Mode that blocks most Instagram and Facebook activity between midnight and 6 a.m.
During this period, teenagers will not be able to post or view their Feed, Stories, Explore or Reels.
Direct messages will remain available.
| Time | Access |
|---|---|
| Midnight–6 a.m. | Most Instagram and Facebook activity blocked |
| 6 a.m.–Midnight | Normal access subject to daily limit |
| Direct messages | Excluded from Night Mode |
If TikTok, YouTube and other major platforms adopt comparable restrictions, the settlement could eventually expand the overnight block to 10 p.m.–7 a.m.
School-Hour Notifications Will Be Muted
Meta will also introduce a default school-hour notification restriction.
Push notifications will be muted between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the school day, although direct messages and account-security or safety alerts will remain available.
The objective is to reduce interruptions caused by social-media notifications while teenagers are in school.
School Mode
| Period | Default Setting |
|---|---|
| 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Push notifications muted |
| Direct messages | Remain available |
| Security alerts | Remain available |
| Safety alerts | Remain available |
The settlement also provides for evening notification restrictions under some state interpretations of the agreement.
Teens Will Receive More Screen-Time Prompts
Meta will introduce prompts after every 15 minutes of continuous screen time.
Additional prompts will appear when cumulative daily usage reaches 60 minutes and 90 minutes.
The purpose is to interrupt prolonged scrolling and encourage teenagers to become more conscious of their usage.
15 minutes → Usage prompt
30 minutes → Usage prompt
45 minutes → Usage prompt
60 minutes → Usage prompt
75 minutes → Usage prompt
90 minutes → Usage prompt
120 minutes → Daily limitThe settlement refers to these interruptions as “Productive Pauses” in some state announcements.
Meta Will Give Teens More Control Over Feeds
The agreement also addresses the recommendation systems that determine what users see.
Teenagers will be able to select a non-algorithmic feed, meaning content will not be personalized through Meta’s recommendation systems in the same way as the standard feed.
Parents will also have the ability to make a non-personalized feed the default experience for their children.
Feed Options
| Feed Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Personalized feed | Uses recommendation algorithms |
| Non-personalized feed | Less algorithmic content selection |
| Chronological content | Shows content from followed accounts in sequence |
The change is significant because it gives families an alternative to feeds designed around algorithmic recommendations and continued engagement.
Autoplay Can Be Turned Off
Meta will also give teenagers the ability to disable autoplay.
When autoplay is disabled, users will have to take a deliberate action, such as tapping or swiping, to continue viewing additional content.
This is designed to reduce passive consumption, particularly in feeds containing continuously playing videos.
Parents will also have the ability to require autoplay to remain disabled for their children.
Likes And Reactions Will Be Hidden
The settlement requires Meta to hide the number of likes and reactions from users under 18 by default.
This applies both to posts made by teenagers themselves and posts made by other users.
The change is intended to reduce social comparison among young users.
| Engagement Feature | Teen Default |
|---|---|
| Likes on own posts | Hidden |
| Likes on others’ posts | Hidden |
| Reaction counts | Hidden |
| Parent controls | Available |
Meta will also restrict certain cosmetic and extreme makeup filters for under-18 users.
Stronger Age Verification Is Coming
A major challenge for any teen restriction is determining who is actually under 18.
Meta says it will strengthen its technology to identify users who may be between 13 and 17 even when they provide an adult birthday.
It will also increase efforts to identify and remove children under 13 from its platforms.
The company is additionally calling for app stores to provide developers with verified age information and obtain parental approval before teenagers download certain apps.
Age-Assurance Goals
| Goal | Meta’s Planned Action |
|---|---|
| Identify under-13 users | Stronger detection |
| Identify teens | Improved age-assurance technology |
| Prevent false adult birthdays | Behavioral and technical signals |
| Improve consistency | Push for verified app-store age information |
Age verification could become one of the most important elements of the new system because the restrictions depend on accurately identifying teenage accounts.
Parents Will Get More Information
Meta will expand its parental supervision tools under the agreement.
Parents can receive information about a teenager’s usage and changes to protective settings.
The company also plans to notify parents when a teenager links a secondary account and alert them about potentially suspicious interactions.
This gives parents more visibility without requiring them to constantly monitor the applications themselves.
Settlement Covers 52 Attorneys General
Meta announced the agreement with a bipartisan group of 52 attorneys general representing U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia.
The agreement resolves legal claims alleging that Meta’s platforms were designed to encourage excessive engagement among young users and that the company failed to adequately address risks to children.
Meta has not admitted wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
Meta Could Pay About $18 Billion
The financial component of the agreement is substantial.
Meta says the agreement involves approximately $18 billion, distributed through annual installments over 10 years.
The company says participating states would receive approximately 70%, or around $12.7 billion, while the remaining roughly $5.3 billion depends on TikTok and YouTube adopting comparable safeguards and making matching payments.
Some state attorneys general have described the settlement as approximately $17.1 billion, reflecting differences in how the conditional components are characterized.
Settlement Financial Structure
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Meta’s announced agreement value | ~$18 billion |
| Core/allocated portion | ~$12.7 billion |
| Conditional portion | ~$5.3 billion |
| Payment period | 10 years |
| Some state-announced value | Up to $17.1 billion |
Meta expects to record approximately $10 billion in legal expenses in the third quarter of 2026 related to the agreement.
Meta Wants TikTok And YouTube To Follow
Meta is explicitly calling on TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same safeguards.
The company argues that restrictions on Instagram and Facebook alone will have limited effectiveness because teenagers can move to other platforms.
The agreement is therefore designed to encourage an industry-wide standard.
Instagram restriction
↓
Teen moves to another app
↓
TikTok / YouTube
↓
Protection becomes less effective
Industry-wide restrictions
↓
Consistent safeguards
↓
Less opportunity to bypass limitsMeta says the conditional part of the settlement is designed partly to encourage those competitors to participate.
Limits Could Become Stricter If Rivals Join
The initial two-hour limit is not necessarily the final standard.
If major competing platforms adopt comparable terms, Meta’s daily restriction could become one hour per platform, while Night Mode could expand to 10 p.m.–7 a.m.
That would represent a substantial tightening of the rules.
| Current Standard | Potential Industry-Wide Standard |
|---|---|
| 2 hours combined | 1 hour per platform |
| Night Mode: Midnight–6 a.m. | 10 p.m.–7 a.m. |
| Five-year initial commitment | 10-year commitment |
The stronger rules are intended to prevent teenagers from simply shifting their usage from one platform to another.
Changes Still Need Court Approval
The new restrictions are not an immediate global change to all teen accounts.
The agreement remains subject to judicial approval.
Once approved, the measures will apply to under-18 users in participating U.S. states and territories.
The majority of the settlement’s provisions are expected to remain in place for 10 years, while the initial Time Limit and Night Mode commitments begin with five-year terms.
Independent Oversight Will Track Compliance
The agreement also establishes an independent oversight structure.
Meta will be subject to annual compliance reviews by an independent auditor for five years.
The agreement also establishes an independent social-media research foundation intended to support research into teen well-being.
Meta says it will share consented user data with the foundation for research purposes.
Why The Settlement Matters For Social Media
The agreement could establish a new standard for how major social-media platforms manage teenage accounts.
For years, platforms have largely relied on optional screen-time tools, parental supervision and content controls.
The new agreement shifts toward default restrictions that teenagers cannot independently remove.
From Optional To Default
| Earlier Approach | New Settlement Approach |
|---|---|
| Optional screen-time controls | Default two-hour limit |
| Optional parental supervision | Expanded parental controls |
| Night notifications muted | Overnight access blocked |
| Algorithmic feed dominant | Non-algorithmic option |
| Optional like hiding | Likes hidden by default |
| Conventional age declarations | Stronger age assurance |
This could influence future regulations and settlements involving other social-media companies.
Critics Say Screen-Time Limits Are Only One Part Of The Problem
The settlement has been welcomed by officials who argue that it introduces meaningful protections, but critics say time limits alone cannot address every risk associated with social-media platforms.
A teenager could still encounter harmful or inappropriate content during the two hours allowed each day.
The debate therefore extends beyond how long teenagers use social media to what they see and how recommendation systems influence that experience.
The agreement attempts to address some of those concerns through non-personalized feeds, hidden engagement metrics, content restrictions and stronger reporting systems.
The Bigger Picture
Meta’s two-hour daily limit represents a significant change in how Instagram and Facebook will operate for teenagers in participating U.S. jurisdictions. The restriction will combine usage across both platforms and require parental permission to disable it. Alongside the time limit, Meta will introduce overnight access blocks, school-hour notification restrictions, more frequent usage prompts, stronger age verification and expanded parental controls.
The agreement also has implications for the wider social-media industry. Meta is asking TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar safeguards, while the settlement contains provisions that could make the restrictions stricter if competitors participate. That makes the deal more than a settlement involving one company: it could become a template for future youth-safety rules across major social-media platforms.
Looking Ahead
The immediate next step is judicial approval of the agreement. Once approved, Meta will begin implementing the new restrictions in participating U.S. states and territories, with the company expected to deploy the measures over the following months. The effectiveness of the changes will be monitored by an independent auditor, while Meta will also continue developing age-assurance technology and parental supervision tools.
The bigger test will be whether other platforms adopt comparable rules. If TikTok and YouTube participate, Meta’s restrictions could become significantly stricter, potentially reducing the daily allowance to one hour per platform and extending the overnight block. If competitors do not follow, the settlement could instead remain primarily a Meta-specific framework. Either way, the agreement marks a major shift toward default limits and greater parental control over teenagers’ social-media use
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