Time limits, 'school mode': Meta agrees to curb kids' access

Molly Schuetz, Bloomberg News on Aug 26, 2026

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Meta Platforms Inc. agreed to implement a raft of restrictions for teens on its Facebook and Instagram apps as part of a multibillion-dollar settlement with multiple U.S. states on Wednesday. The landmark agreement requires the company to put new guardrails on Facebook and Instagram, including limits on how much time youths can spend scrolling and preventing them from switching off certain safety settings without parental consent.

Here’s a breakdown of what protections Meta will implement to Instagram and Facebook for users under 18. Meta is asking TikTok and YouTube to put similar measures in place.

—Time limit: Default two-hour daily limit that teens can’t turn off without parent permission.

—Night mode: The apps will be locked by default from midnight to 6 a.m.

—School mode: Notifications will be muted by default during school hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

—Regular prompts: Teens will get prompts every 15 minutes of continuous screen time and when total daily usage hits 60 and 90 minutes.

—Algorithmic feed control: Teens will be able to choose a feed that isn’t personalized by Meta’s recommendation system. They’ll need to tap or swipe to see more similar posts. Parents can choose to adjust their teen’s default experience to require this setting.

—Hidden likes: Teens won’t see the number of likes and reactions on posts by default.

—Makeup filters: Meta already blocks teens from using cosmetic surgery filters and will now also block them from using extreme makeup filters.

—Age assurance: Meta is strengthening verification for accounts of users between ages 13 and 17 so that they can be placed in experiences designed for teens.

—Age-appropriate content restrictions: Teens by default are placed into 13+ content settings, inspired by movie ratings criteria and parent feedback.

—Unwanted contact: Meta will keep current practice of putting teens into private accounts on Instagram and private default settings on Facebook and continue to restrict potentially suspicious adults from contacting them. The company will strengthen its efforts to make it harder for those adults to find, follow or interact with teens.

—Reporting harmful content: Teens will have easy ways to report content that concerns them.

—Stronger parental controls: Parents will be encouraged to set up supervision tools. Parents will be notified with a teen links to a secondary account, alerting them to interactions with potentially suspicious accounts, and providing periodic updates on their teen’s usage and any attempts to change protective settings.