Meta Implements Strict Limitations for Teen Users Following Major Lawsuit Settlement

Meta has reached a settlement in its latest trial focused on online safety for kids, involving 29 state attorneys general. This agreement helps the company avoid a lengthy trial that could have resulted in massive financial penalties.

As part of the settlement, which addresses claims from a total of 47 states and various districts and territories, Meta is required to establish an age assurance standard that will undergo independent testing. The false positive rate for users aged 16 to 17 must not exceed 10 percent, while for those aged 13 to 15, it should be capped at 3 percent. Additionally, teens will have the option to disable personalized feeds, meaning they won’t receive content tailored by Meta’s recommendation algorithms. The company will also pause push notifications for users aged 13 to 17 between 10 PM and 7 AM unless parents opt out of these restrictions. Furthermore, teens will be limited to two hours of daily usage on Meta apps, with exceptions for messaging and long-form content.

Meta has committed to paying $17.1 billion to the states over the next decade. Notably, $5.3 billion of this amount will only be disbursed if competing platforms like YouTube and TikTok implement their own daily usage limits and contribute an equivalent sum.

The settlement mandates that Meta link accounts belonging to the same user to prevent evasion of the new rules and establish an appeals process for users. Those claiming to be over 18 but failing to complete the age assurance test within two weeks will face account restrictions designed to limit potential adult interactions with teens, along with receiving content recommendations based on age-appropriate experiences. Additionally, push notifications will be disabled during school hours for teens unless permitted by their parents. Meta will also introduce “productive pauses” after 60 and 90 minutes of cumulative app usage and provide clear notifications after 15 minutes of use.

Moreover, the company will remove filters that simulate cosmetic procedures for teens and disable likes on posts to reduce social comparison. Meta has pledged not to make false or misleading claims regarding the effectiveness of its safety features.

Another aspect of the settlement involves integrating “Age Signals from Google and Apple Operating Systems and App Stores” into Meta’s age assurance framework, a move the company has been advocating for with state and federal lawmakers.

C.J. Mahoney, Meta’s chief legal officer, emphasized the importance of these new commitments, stating that the Time Limit policies, Night Mode features, and school hour usage limits set a positive direction for the industry. He urged other platforms, particularly TikTok and YouTube, to adopt this framework promptly, highlighting the need for a unified approach as teens navigate multiple apps.