Meta agrees to pay nearly $18 billion to settle child-safety claims with US states; Florida refuses

Meta has agreed to pay nearly $18 billion and adopt new usage restrictions for minors, ending a trial over allegations that the company designed its products to foster compulsive use among children without warning of mental health risks.

The settlement, which still requires court approval, would set a default two-hour daily time limit for Facebook and Instagram users under 18, which teens could only disable with parental permission. It also introduces a default overnight block between midnight and 6 am, and a school-hours mode muting notifications from 8 am to 3 pm. The two-hour limit applies cumulatively across both apps and accounts for multiple-account use. Teens would receive prompts every 15 minutes of continuous use, plus additional prompts at 60 and 90 minutes of daily use.

Scope of the deal and exceptions

The primary settlement provides up to $16.7 billion for 47 states, the District of Columbia, and several territories. A clause would cut Meta's payment by $5 billion if rival platforms TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat do not adopt similar terms, bringing the minimum guaranteed payment to about $11.7 billion over ten years. Texas, which was not part of the multistate case, separately settled its own lawsuit for $1 billion, pushing the combined total toward $18 billion.

Florida rejected the settlement, with its attorney general calling the amount insufficient given the harm caused and saying the state would proceed to trial. Advocacy group Public Citizen also criticized the deal, arguing that spread over a decade, the sum would not meaningfully change Meta's business practices. New Mexico, which also opted out, has already won a court judgment ordering Meta to pay more than $940 million, which the company is appealing.

Additional requirements

The settlement also bars displaying like counts to users under 18, bans cosmetic-filter effects for minors, offers a non-algorithmic feed option, and requires faster response to harmful-content reports. Meta must implement age-verification systems and bring on an independent auditor.