Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Meta’s U.S.-Only Teen Safeguards Follow Costly Settlement Talks
Meta is changing some safety rules for teenagers on Facebook and Instagram.
For now, these changes will only protect users in the United States.
The rules may limit how long younger users use the apps.
They may also make it harder to turn off safety settings.
Meta says it will watch how the changes work and talk with other governments.
The changes are part of settlement talks over claims that social media can be dangerous for children.
Those talks could cost Meta as much as $18 billion.
Officials in the United Kingdom want strong protections too, including a proposed ban for children under 16.
Critics say social media companies should be held responsible in every country, not just the United States.
Meta’s new teen safeguards on Facebook and Instagram will initially apply only to users in the United States.
The changes include limits on younger users’ app time and restrictions on disabling safety settings.
The measures are part of settlement talks that could cost Meta as much as $18 billion.
Meta said it will monitor the changes and continue discussions with other governments.
The United Kingdom and child-safety advocates urged stronger protections for young people worldwide.
- Who
- Meta, UK officials, social media safety advocates, and young users of Facebook and Instagram.
- What
- Meta announced teen-safety guardrails involving app-time limits and restrictions on disabling safety settings.
- When
- The changes were announced this week; Pat McFadden discussed them in a Thursday BBC interview.
- Where
- The safeguards will initially apply only in the United States, while their impact is being watched internationally.
- Why
- They are part of settlement talks addressing claims that Meta’s social media networks pose safety risks to children.
Critics and Regulators
Meta
Geographic scope
Critics and Regulators
UK officials and advocates questioned why the stronger safeguards will initially apply only in the United States and called for comparable protections elsewhere.
Meta
Meta said it will monitor the changes and continue engaging with other governments.
Accountability for child safety
Critics and Regulators
The Social Media Victims Law Center said Meta and other platforms should be held accountable internationally for allegedly causing serious harm to children.
Meta
Meta is pursuing settlement talks over the claims while pointing to its commitment to user safety and existing teen-protection features.
Regulatory approach
Critics and Regulators
The United Kingdom is considering a ban for children under 16 and curfews for older teens, reflecting growing government scrutiny of social media’s effects on children.
Meta
The article does not report Meta endorsing those UK restrictions; it says the company is continuing discussions with governments.
- Company
- Meta
- Affected services
- Facebook and Instagram
- Initial coverage
- United States users only
- Safeguards
- Limits on younger users’ time on the apps and restrictions on switching off safety settings
- Potential settlement cost
- As much as $18 billion
- UK proposal
- A planned ban on app use for children under 16, with proposed curfews for older teenagers
- International context
- More than two dozen countries have implemented or are considering restrictions on young people’s social-media access