Meta to Pay $18B, Mandate Teen Safety Features

Meta Platforms has agreed to a landmark settlement with 48 U.S. states, agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and implement sweeping changes to its social media platforms to protect young users. The deal, announced on August 26, 2026, and approved by a federal judge the following day, resolves a high-stakes trial in Oakland, California, that accused the company of knowingly designing addictive features that harmed children's mental health.

The settlement, which Meta entered while denying wrongdoing, requires the tech giant to make significant alterations to how Facebook and Instagram operate for users under 18. The most substantial change is that many safety features will now be enabled by default for teen accounts, a shift from previous optional settings. These include a two-hour daily time limit across Instagram and Facebook combined, which teens cannot disable without parental approval. Notifications will be muted overnight from midnight to 6 a.m. and during school hours on weekdays. Likes and reactions will be hidden by default on posts teens see or create, and certain cosmetic surgery filters will be banned for this age group.

The agreement was reached during the second week of...