Meta agrees to new limits on teens’ app use under settlement with states

Meta has agreed to a package of changes designed to limit minors’ access to its platforms as part of a settlement with U.S. states, according to a report citing the terms of the deal. The company is moving toward more restrictive default settings for teens, with the goal of reducing time spent on its apps and tightening oversight around features that can keep young users engaged.

A headline element of the agreement is a daily time limit for teens. Under the plan described in the report, Meta will implement a two-hour cap per day, and the limit can be disabled only with parental permission. In practice, that means the default experience for teens is meant to end after two hours unless a parent explicitly authorizes an exception.

The report characterizes the settlement as “sweeping” in scope, implying broader operational or product changes beyond the time cap alone, though it does not enumerate all components in the material provided. Meta did not disclose additional technical specifics in the account summarized by Yahoo Finance beyond the general thrust of tightened teen protections and the structure of the time limit.

Meta’s platforms include Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and its consumer ads business depends on engagement and time spent. The company has faced continuing scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers over the effects of social media on children, including concerns about exposure to inappropriate content and the design of systems that can increase prolonged use.

The teen time-limit approach fits within a wider regulatory trend in the United States, where states have pushed for safeguards that operate as “by default” protections rather than relying on minors to self-regulate. These kinds of measures typically shift the burden to parental controls or require platforms to put guardrails in place automatically.

Even with the agreement, the details that markets will watch are what exactly changes for users in different circumstances, such as how the time limit applies across devices or apps, what happens when parents grant permission, and whether other engagement features are altered in parallel. The report’s framing suggests multiple changes, but the material provided does not spell out all terms, timelines, or enforcement mechanics.

For Meta, the settlement adds another layer to an already active compliance and product-adjustment cycle. In the coming weeks, investors and policy observers will likely focus on how quickly the new teen settings roll out, whether Meta’s approach satisfies state requirements across jurisdictions, and what additional disclosures the company makes about implementation and user experience once the agreement takes effect.