Teens across the US will soon be subject to two-hour time limits across Facebook and Instagram.

Teens across the US will soon be subject to two-hour time limits across Facebook and Instagram.

Meta just agreed to make sweeping changes for teens as part of a child safety settlement reached with attorneys general across the US. Under the agreement, Meta must apply new safeguards across Instagram and Facebook that will change how teens interact with the social media platforms, as well as restrict their use during certain times.

In a related development, the settlement stems from a nationwide lawsuit alleging Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap failed to protect children and made their platforms “addictive” by design. A group of 51 US states and territories signed the agreement, including New York, New Jersey, California, Nevada, South Carolina, Washington, Illinois, and numerous more. Most of these protections are required to remain in place for at least 10 years.

The changes are coming to Facebook and Instagram in all US states except for New Mexico, which is in the middle of a legal battle with Meta, and Florida, which has banned kids under 14 from creating social media accounts. Texas also reached a separate settlement with Meta with similar requirements. Here’s a list of the biggest changes:

Meta has committed to keeping plenty of of its existing safety standards as well. That means placing all teens into more private accounts by default, preventing “potentially suspicious adults” from messaging them, and making it more difficult for adults to find, follow, or interact with young users. The company also says it will keep its age-appropriate content restrictions, which hide posts containing nudity, sexual content, strong language, or risky stunts from teens.

Furthermore, meta is calling on TikTok and YouTube to make similar changes, saying “these protections will only be truly effective if we work with our peers.” It must pay $17.1 billion to states over 10 years, but says it will pay $5.3 billion of this sum only if TikTok and YouTube pay the same amount, as well as implement a daily time limit for teens, add restrictions at night, and roll out age assurance measures.

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