Meta will impose daily limits on child Instagram users and pay $17 BILLION to settle claims it deliberately got youngsters hooked on its social media platforms

Meta will impose daily limits on child Instagram users and pay $17 BILLION to settle claims it deliberately got youngsters hooked on its social media platformsSee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Updated: 10:43 EDT, 26 August 2026 Social media giant Meta will pay almost $17 billion to settle a lawsuit that claimed its products Instagram and Facebook harmed child users.Wednesday's settlement resolves a lawsuit brought against Meta by 29 states over claims Instagram and Facebook were deliberately designed to get young users hooked.Meta was also accused of misleading users about how safe children were on its platforms, and of improperly collecting their personal data. As part of the settlement, Meta will impose daily usage limits on child users of Instagram and Facebook, and also make it harder to access both platforms at night.'Today, we have secured a settlement with Meta that will make social media less dangerous for our kids and make a world of a difference for children and their families,' California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. He maintained that Meta will enact the 'massive transformations' on its platforms 'within months.'Meta owns and operates platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.The trial was co-led by Bonta and AGs from Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, pictured in the White House in September 2025 California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who co-led the 29-state effort to sue the social media company, said in a statement that changes would be seen on platforms like Facebook and Instagram 'within months'Proceedings began last week in federal court in Oakland, California, and had been expected to run through early October. 'I am proud to deliver this settlement that addresses the concerns at the core of our lawsuit and institutes real change, real transparency, and real enforceable protections for children on Facebook and Instagram - right now, no more waiting,' Bonta said.The AG's office specifically said that Meta had agreed to install a default time limit of two hours for users who are under 18 and a nighttime block between the hours of midnight and 6am. Parents can lift both settings.Other mandated defaults include restrictions on notifications during school- and nighttime hours, and a ban on showing the numbers of 'likes' or reactions to posts from minors.A ban on cosmetic surgery image filters for young users was agreed upon as well.Included but not required is an option for young users to elect for a 'non-personalized feed' rather than one fueled by an algorithm that carefully curates content.Meta must also hire an independent party to ensure the company adheres to a provision 'prohibiting it from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements around its safety features,' Bonta's office said.Breaking story, more to follow...