Overview
- A federal judge approved a multistate deal on Aug. 26 that requires Meta to pay between about $16.7 billion and $17.1 billion over 10 years with a separate $1 billion Texas agreement and an additional contingent roughly $5.3 billion tied to competitor compliance.
- About $12.7 billion of the primary payout will be distributed to participating states for youth online safety and mental‑health programs over the next decade.
- The settlement mandates specific product changes for users under 18, including a default two‑hour daily cap across apps, a midnight–6 a.m. block, muted notifications during school hours, prompts after continuous use, a default non‑algorithmic feed option, autoplay off, hidden like counts, blocked extreme makeup filters, stronger age assurance, and expanded parental controls.
- Meta must hire an independent auditor with five years of access and reporting to state attorneys general and share data with a consent‑based research foundation, with implementation of many features slated to begin within months.
- Not all states joined the same terms, Meta did not admit wrongdoing, the reforms are time‑limited, other lawsuits and legislative efforts continue, and the deal is designed to pressure YouTube and TikTok to adopt comparable rules that could further shrink teens’ allowed screen time.