Meta strikes a multi-billion settlement over teen social-media harms with new safeguards

Meta reached a landmark multi-billion-dollar settlement with 29 states over alleged teen harm from Instagram and Facebook, agreeing to safeguards such as daily time limits, pauses for notifications during school hours, stronger parental controls, age-appropriate content restrictions, and independent audits. A portion of the payout may be reserved for YouTube and TikTok to implement parallel safeguards; the case is seen as a major test of the tech industry’s responsibility for youth welfare, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg expected to testify. Meta says the settlement is a fraction of its 2025 revenue.