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Instagram Facebook Teen Addiction: Meta has long been accused in the US of creating features and systems in Facebook and Instagram that keep children and teenagers on the platform for longer. States alleged that such designs could harm the mental health of young people and the company platform People were misled about the security of Meta He has not admitted any wrongdoing to the charges. However, the company has settled with almost all US states to end the legal dispute. The major settlement was approved by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

The biggest impact of the settlement will be on teenagers’ use of Instagram and Facebook. Meta has agreed to enforce a usage limit of two hours per day for users under the age of 18. Parental approval will be required to remove this limit.

App closed from midnight to 6 am

Facebook and Instagram will be blocked from midnight to 6 am for users under the age of 18. It can be changed if the parents approve. The move aims to reduce children’s screen time at night.

Stop Push Notifications During School

Meta will also turn off most push notifications during school hours. Most notifications will not be sent to teenage users in the US between 8am and 3pm, to avoid social media distractions during the study. Under the new rules, some changes will be made including hiding the like count on juvenile accounts. This is believed to be an attempt to reduce the stakes of comparison, popularity pressure and recognition among children through the likes they receive on social media.

Age verification will be stricter

Meta will have to strengthen its technology to recognize the age of children. Own and third-party technologies will be used to keep children under the age of 13 off the platform and to ensure that users aged 13 to 17 only use appropriate TeenAccounts. There will also be an independent audit of this system. Parental controls will also be strengthened. Parental approval will be especially important in restrictions such as two-hour time limits and nighttime use. This will give families more control over how much time their children spend on Instagram-Facebook.

How much will Meta pay?

Meta can pay a maximum of $18 billion (₹1.72 lakh crore) over the next ten years. About $12.7 billion of the payout is fixed, while an additional roughly $5 billion is tied to conditions including whether other major social media services such as Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube adopt similar safety measures for children. Under the main settlement, the 47 US states plus Washington DC, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Marina Islands will receive a maximum of about $16.7 billion. Meta has settled separately with Texas for more than a billion dollars.

What did the Meta say?

Meta has not admitted any wrongdoing in the settlement. The company says its priority is to ensure teenagers have a safe and positive experience on its platform. Meta has already implemented teen accounts and other child safety features. Although some experts working in the field of child protection say that the two-hour limit and parental controls are important measures, the fundamental questions, including the recommendation algorithm, are still not fully resolved.