WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) announced Wednesday an agreement with a bipartisan group of 52 attorneys general representing US states, territories, and the District of Columbia, focused on teen online safety measures across its social media platforms.
The social media company, which operates Instagram and Facebook, will implement automatic protections and controls for users under 18 in participating US states and territories. These protections must remain in place for 10 years pending judicial approval.
The protective measures include Time Limit, Night Mode, School Mode, Autoplay Control, Algorithmic Feed Control, Regular Prompts, Age Assurance, age-appropriate content restrictions, controls on unwanted contact from strangers, and strengthened parental controls.
Meta noted that all platforms should empower parents and support teens by implementing the same measures. The company emphasized that teens move fluidly between dozens of apps daily, and when restricted on one app, they often move to another. Meta is urging TikTok and YouTube to adopt this new industry standard alongside the company and state attorneys general.
The agreement includes a payment of approximately $18 billion to fund youth online safety initiatives and other state priorities. Participating states will receive approximately 70 percent, or approximately $12.7 billion, distributed over a 10-year period in annual installments. The remaining 30 percent, or approximately $5.3 billion, will be released only after two specific conditions are met.
Meta expects to accrue a legal expense of approximately $10 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 related to the agreement.
The settlement will establish an independent social media research foundation. Meta will share consented user data with the foundation to advance independent research into teen well-being and improve understanding of how to best support teens online.
An independent auditor will test and report to the states on Meta's compliance with the agreement annually for five years. The agreement is designed to drive industry-wide adoption, ensuring teens receive consistent protections across the apps they use most. If industry peers adopt this new standard, certain provisions will be strengthened.
Copyright(c) 2026 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2026 AFX News
