Meta Agrees to Limit Teens' Time on Facebook and Instagram, Calls on TikTok and YouTube to Match

Meta has announced it will overhaul safety features on Facebook and Instagram for teens aged 13 to 17, as part of a deal with nearly all U.S. states. The changes will include time limits, content restrictions, and enhanced parental controls. Teens will be limited to a two-hour daily usage on both apps combined, with a nighttime restriction from midnight to 6 a.m. Parents can enforce these limits and receive updates on their teen's activity.

Additionally, teens can switch to a non-algorithmic feed, disable autoplay, and hide likes. Meta will also bolster tools to verify user ages and strengthen parental controls. In exchange, the company will pay approximately $18 billion to states, used for online youth safety initiatives. However, Meta is demanding TikTok and YouTube adopt similar measures, threatening to reduce daily usage limits to one hour per app and expand Night Mode to run from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. if they don't comply. Meta has also issued an open letter urging TikTok and YouTube to implement these safety features.