Meta settles with 29 state attorneys general over teen online safety
The tech giant avoids a trial with potential liabilities in the hundreds of billions by agreeing to strict usage limits and independently tested age assurance standards.
Meta has reached a settlement with 29 state attorneys general to resolve a major lawsuit concerning children’s online safety. The agreement spares the company from the remainder of a trial that could have resulted in costs of hundreds of billions of dollars, a projection of potential liability rather than a confirmed financial figure.
Under the terms of the settlement, Meta is required to develop an age assurance standard that is subject to independent testing. The standard must maintain a false positive rate of no higher than 10 percent for users aged 16 to 17 and 3 percent for users aged 13 to 15. These metrics aim to balance accurate age verification with minimal disruption to older teenagers.
The settlement also introduces specific consumer protections for teen users. Meta will give teens the option to turn off personalised feeds, which prevents content recommendations based on the company’s algorithm. Additionally, push notifications for teens will be suspended between 10 PM and 7 AM unless parents choose to disable these restrictions.
Daily usage limits are a central component of the deal. Teens will be limited to two hours of Meta app usage per day. The settlement includes exceptions for messaging and “longform content,” although the specific definition of the latter is not detailed in the available terms.
This resolution follows a recent precedent in US child privacy litigation. In August 2026, TikTok agreed to pay $400 million to settle a lawsuit with the Department of Justice over violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. That case alleged TikTok collected data from children without parental consent and failed to delete accounts upon request.
The Meta settlement marks a significant shift in how state regulators are approaching digital platforms. By mandating independent testing and specific algorithmic opt-outs, the 29 state attorneys general have secured enforceable standards that go beyond voluntary corporate commitments.
