By Jacob Halbesma, Local and National Editor
On Aug. 26, 2026, Meta agreed to a historic $17.1 billion to $18 billion settlement with a massive coalition of states. The landmark agreement addresses lawsuits accusing the company of deliberately designing addictive features like algorithms and comparative statistics that harm youth mental health.
The deal concludes a major legal battle stemming from a 2023 multistate lawsuit accusing Meta and their CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, of intentionally hooking children and teens to Facebook and Instagram.
Over a 10-year span, Meta will pay out the settlement to participating states, designating the funds to support youth online safety programs, mental health interventions and school “phone-free zone” initiatives.
Along with the payout, the settlement forces broad, mandatory modifications to how Instagram and Facebook will operate for users between the ages of 13 to 17. According to terms, the platforms must implement safeguards to protect users who may be susceptible to social media addiction.
Among the mandated rules, time limits will be enforced on teen accounts, allowing for a combined two-hour daily limit across Meta platforms, with “productivity pauses” triggered after 15, 60 and 90 minutes of continuous scrolling.
Additionally, app functions will automatically lock between midnight and 6 a.m., and push notifications will be entirely blocked during the school year from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. This protection will be implemented to limit phone usage during educational periods of the day, allowing them to remain focused and off social media.
Meta has already paid nearly $3 billion in lawsuits this year in relation to their data privacy violations and unfair practices.
Parents will also be given more control over their child’s algorithm and scrolling, gaining the ability to turn off algorithmic feeds and auto-play videos. To prevent social comparison, Meta also agreed to hide numeric counts under post’s likes, comments and shares.
“The changes we see Meta making in regard to their social media platforms will not only decrease teen social media use but also work as a way to disconnect teens from their phones in general,” sophomore finance major Benjamin Norton said.
Outside of the typical nature of a settlement, a unique clause in the deal ties Meta’s financial payout directly to the rest of the industry. Meta is only required to pay 70% of the settlement upfront, with the final 30% being contingent on competitors like YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat adopting similar restrictions.
State attorneys general have publicly announced that they are focused on pursuing litigation efforts on the remaining social media platforms. Meta officials declined to comment on whether they had conversations with their competitors about those conditions, but said the deal was designed to incentivize the industry to follow in their footsteps.
The modern term “doomscrolling” has risen in popularity, in reference to users of social media apps being “doomed” to scroll for long periods of time as soon as they open the app. According to the settlement, this is due to the personalized algorithms and feed designed to continuously engage these scrollers with short-form content.
“I think this will also double as a means to reduce online trafficking and catfishing methods directed at vulnerable teens,” Norton said.
As parents, educators and lawmakers rejoice at this decision, they continue to push other social media platforms to do the same and implement similar safety features.