What changes did Meta agree to under the U.S. settlement over teen social media harm?

Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion over a decade and impose new limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram. The settlement includes a default two-hour limit on its apps for users under 18.

How are Australia and other countries responding to Meta's settlement and teen safety measures?

Australian officials said social media companies have the tools to protect young users but have chosen not to use them. The Philippines said Meta and Roblox pledged to tighten age verification, expand parental controls and add time limits, while South Korea said some measures should apply worldwide.

Meta settlement opens new front in global fight over social media harm

Q: What is the European Commission asking Meta to do about addictive social media features?

The Commission said it is waiting for Meta to present changes and has already said Facebook and Instagram should disable autoplay and endless scrolling by default, introduce screen-time breaks and change recommendation systems. It said Meta had also failed to stop children under 13 from opening or keeping accounts.

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Summary

Meta’s $18 billion U.S. settlement over teen social media harm is prompting governments in Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and the European Union to push for tougher child-safety rules. Australian officials said platforms have the tools to protect young users, while Meta’s deal includes new limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram. The European Commission said it is waiting for Meta to present changes, and in South Korea a media regulator said some measures should apply worldwide.

Key Facts

The settlement covers nearly all U.S. states and limits how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram under an agreement to resolve claims that Meta designed the platforms to addict children.
The deal includes a default two-hour limit on Meta apps for users under 18 in the United States.
Australia already has a world-first ban on social media for children under 16, but enforcement has been patchy and studies found 80 percent of minors were still on social media months after the ban took effect in December.
The Philippines said Meta and Roblox pledged to tighten age verification, expand parental controls and implement time limits on social media.
The European Commission said Meta had already faced preliminary findings under the Digital Services Act and had been told to disable autoplay and endless scrolling by default, introduce screen-time breaks and change recommendation systems.

By Reuters

Published Aug 28, 2026 1:09 am KST

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, looks on during the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing 'Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis' in Washington, DC, on Jan. 31, 2024. Meta agreed to pay a coalition of U.S. states as much as $16.7 billion and to impose sweeping new limits on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, according to a court filing on Aug. 26, that ends a landmark trial in California. The proposed settlement, filed in federal court, would resolve claims by 29 states that Meta deliberately engineered its platforms to hook young users, misled the public about the risks and unlawfully collected data from children under 13. AFP-Yonhap — Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, looks on during the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis" in Washington, DC, on Jan. 31, 2024. Meta agreed to pay a coalition of U.S. states as much as $16.7 billion and to impose sweeping new limits on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, according to a court filing on Aug. 26, that ends a landmark trial in California. The proposed settlement, filed in federal court, would resolve claims by 29 states that Meta deliberately engineered its platforms to hook young users, misled the public about the risks and unlawfully collected data from children under 13. AFP-Yonhap

SYDNEY/MANILA/BRUSSELS — Meta's move to restrict teenagers' use of social media in the U.S. shows companies have tools to better protect young people online, Australian officials said on Thursday, while in the Philippines, an official said the U.S. company had pledged to boost protection there too.

Meta's up to $18 billion settlement with nearly all U.S. states over social media harm to teenagers has opened a new front in a global government fight to protect children and curb addiction to platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Governments around the world are trying to curb children's access to harmful online content, including a world-first ban in Australia late last year on social media for children under 16.

Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said in an email to Reuters that social media companies "have the tools at their disposal to protect young people from their addictive features but have chosen not to use them."

Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion over a decade and limit how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram under an agreement with nearly all U.S. states to resolve claims that it designed those platforms to addict children. Meta denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

The deal brings sweeping changes to Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms in the United States, including imposing a default two-hour limit on its apps for users under the age of 18. In South Korea, the media regulator said some of Meta's measures should be applied to young users worldwide, rather than just in specific markets. Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum said the government needed to review its potential impact for Mexico.

There were some early signs that the settlement could help other countries win similar measures. Philippines Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda told Reuters that both Meta and gaming platform Roblox had pledged in a meeting on Thursday to tighten age verification processes in the country, as well as expand parental controls and implement time limits on the social media.

The European Commission said it was waiting for Meta to present changes to limit the addictive designs of its social networks.

The Commission already issued preliminary findings earlier this year that Meta breached the Digital Services Act (DSA). In July, it said Facebook and Instagram should disable autoplay and endless scrolling by default, introduce screen-time breaks and change recommendation systems to reduce incentives to keep users engaged — measures that go beyond the U.S. settlement. In April, the Commission said Meta had failed to stop children under 13 from opening or maintaining accounts. The U.S. settlement could make it harder for Meta to argue that tougher age-verification measures are impractical.

"We have been very clear ... we expect proper screen time management, we expect proper parental control on these platforms. Meta knows ... the ball is in Meta's court," said spokesperson Thomas Regnier.

Execution issues

Enforcement of restrictions in Australia has, however, been patchy so far. Early evidence suggests the law has been undermined by weak age-verification systems, with multiple studies, including from Australia's internet regulator, showing 80% of minors were still on social media months after the ban took effect in December. That prompted lawmakers to double the maximum fine and increase regulatory powers.

In Asia, countries including China, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are also seeking tighter oversight of social media as well as curbs, including to block alleged scams, and in particular to protect children.

Australian class-action law firm Shine Lawyers said it was in discussions with Mark Lanier, a lawyer who worked on the California action against Meta, about a potential similar action.

"For years, families have been asking whether enough has been done to protect children from platform features designed to maximise engagement," said Shine Lawyers head of class actions Craig Allsopp.

"We are now examining whether similar legal issues arise in Australia, including whether Australian children and families may have claims connected to the design, operation and promotion of social media platforms. If Australian families have been affected, they deserve answers."

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