Meta is implementing new restrictions on U.S. teens who use Facebook and Instagram, but the changes could have repercussions far beyond U.S. screens. Meta’s new protections come after a series of settlements relating to allegations that social media sites endanger children, with the company facing as much as $18 billion in expenses.
For now, the new rules will be applied only to U.S. users. The measures include limitations on how long younger users can spend on Meta’s apps and limits on their ability to disable certain safety settings, Bloomberg reported. The company says it will watch the changes and continue discussions with governments elsewhere.
The biggest change is that it will be harder for teens to get around safety protections. Meta’s deal includes a default two-hour-per-day time limit across Facebook and Instagram, which requires parental approval to override. The limit is cumulative across the two services, even if Meta identifies multiple accounts belonging to the same person.
Meta is also rolling out a default Nite Mode, which blocks access to key features from midnight to 6 a.m. During these hours, teens won’t be able to post or browse parts like Feed, Stories, Explore, or Reels. School hours will have their own restrictions. Notifications will be silenced between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. by default, but you’ll still receive direct messages and notifications about account security or safety. And there will be regular prompts every 15 minutes of continuous use, and when daily usage reaches 60 and 90 minutes.
The company will also allow teens to select a non-personalized feed, disable autoplay, and hide like and reaction counts as a default. Meta said it will beef up its tools for verifying ages to catch people under 13, and identify teens who lie about their age and pretend to be adults.
The U.S.-only rollout is important because regulators in other countries are already mulling tougher rules for children and teens. Bloomberg reports officials from more than 20 countries have proposed or are considering restrictions on social media services like TikTok and Snapchat for young people.
One country watching closely is Britain. The UK secretary of state for work and pensions, Pat McFadden, said the issue is important to parents and governments, asking whether children in Britain could end up with weaker protections than those in the US. The financial side is important too. Meta’s settlement includes a payment of about $18 billion, a large portion of which will be paid out to participating states over 10 years. Elements of the restrictions could be tightened and extended if other big platforms adopt similar safeguards, the company says.
Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, called the settlement a “bellwether for the rest of the world,” adding that Meta and other platforms should be held accountable beyond the U.S. For the immediate impact for teenagers is straightforward: less unfettered scrolling, fewer late-night notifications and more parental control. The bigger test for Meta is whether those changes can meaningfully change how young people use its platforms – and whether regulators elsewhere decide they should go even further.
