{
  "id": 3658759,
  "title": "Meta Agrees To $16 Billion Settlement Over Teen Safety Lawsuit; Will Introduce 2-Hour Daily Usage Limit For Kids Under 18",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/meta-agrees-to-16-billion-settlement-over-teen-safety-lawsuit-will",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-27T03:24:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/tech/meta-agrees-to-16-billion-settlement-over-teen-safety-lawsuit-will-introduce-2-hour-daily-usage-limit-for-kids-under-18"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Meta has reached a settlement of $16 billion to resolve a lawsuit filed by state attorneys general across multiple US states. The lawsuit, initiated in 2023 and led by California along with other states, accused Meta of knowingly designing its platforms to be addictive to children and teenagers, putting their mental and physical health at risk. The attorneys general also claimed that Meta misled users, families, and the public about the dangers of its platforms and unlawfully collected data from children under 13, violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The settlement requires Meta to introduce a default two-hour daily limit for teens on Instagram and Facebook, with parental consent to extend beyond two hours. The time limit could be reduced to one hour and the overnight block expanded if other major platforms adopt similar restrictions. Other agreed-upon measures include turning off notifications to under-18s during nighttime hours and school days, hiding like and reaction counts on minors' posts, banning image filters that could cause cosmetic surgery-like alterations, and offering teens a non-personalized feed. Meta must enhance its age-verification systems, expand parental supervision tools, and allow an independent auditor to review its practices. Despite agreeing to the settlement, Meta denies any wrongdoing and urges its competitors to adopt the same safety measures.",
  "summary": "Meta has agreed to pay $16 billion to settle a landmark lawsuit brought by a coalition of state attorneys general, who accused the company of designing Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to children and teenagers, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office. States allege compulsive-use design, cover-up The lawsuit, filed in 2023 and led by California along with Colorado,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Meta settles $16 billion lawsuit over children's platform addiction.",
    "Introduces default two-hour daily usage limit for teens on Instagram and Facebook.",
    "Other measures include nighttime usage restrictions and age-verification enhancements."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}