Washington, August 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Meta has reached an agreement with a bipartisan group of US attorneys general that could cost the company up to $18 billion and introduce sweeping new safety restrictions for teenagers using Instagram and Facebook. The agreement is subject to judicial approval.
Under the proposed framework, users under 18 would face a default two-hour daily limit across Instagram and Facebook. Teenagers would need parental permission to disable the restriction, while time spent across multiple accounts would count towards the combined limit.
The platforms would also block teen access between midnight and 6 a.m., while notifications would be muted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., except for direct messages and account security or safety alerts. Teens would receive reminders after every 15 minutes of continuous use and additional notifications after reaching 60 and 90 minutes of daily usage.
The agreement would allow teenagers to choose a non-algorithmic feed and disable autoplay, while like and reaction counts would be hidden by default. Meta would also restrict cosmetic surgery and extreme makeup filters for teen users.
Parents would receive information when a teenager links a secondary account or interacts with an account considered potentially suspicious. They would also receive periodic usage updates and notifications about attempted changes to protective settings.
Meta has urged TikTok and YouTube to adopt comparable measures, arguing that teenagers frequently move between social media platforms. If both companies join the framework, Meta’s daily limit would be reduced to one hour per app and the overnight block would expand from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The agreement provides for approximately $18 billion in payments over 10 years. About $12.7 billion would go to participating states, while a further $5.3 billion would be released if TikTok and YouTube introduce comparable one-hour limits, night restrictions and age-assurance measures and make matching payments.
Meta said it expects to record a legal expense of about $10 billion in the third quarter of 2026. The company has not admitted wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
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