Under the proposed agreement, children would be limited to a combined two hours of daily use across Instagram and Facebook. Meta would also introduce “Productive Pauses” after 15 minutes of continuous use, with additional breaks at 60 and 90 minutes to discourage prolonged scrolling.
The deal would further introduce “Night-time Blocks,” preventing children from accessing the platforms between midnight and 6 a.m. Push notifications would also be switched off on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the school year.
Meta would strengthen its age-verification systems to better identify young users and impose tighter controls on harmful content involving bullying, eating disorders, suicide and self-harm.
The proposed settlement would also give parents stronger controls over their children’s accounts and place restrictions on features linked to social comparison, including some beauty filters and visible “like” counts.
An independent auditor and the states involved in the settlement would monitor Meta’s compliance and assess whether the measures are effective.
Although the settlement is reportedly valued at up to $17.1 billion, the final amount will depend on certain conditions. The agreement must also receive judicial approval before it can take effect.
The development comes as Meta and other major social media companies face increasing pressure to protect children from potentially harmful online content and features designed to encourage prolonged platform use.
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