As of Aug. 27, 2026, Meta has settled a multistate lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram were designed to addict young users, agreeing to a multiyear payment of up to about $18 billion and default limits on teen Facebook and Instagram accounts, including a two-hour daily cap. The company denies the allegations and any liability.
NBC News, CNBC, and CBS News reported that the agreement was announced on Aug. 26, 2026, and that Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, approved it the same day, cutting short a federal trial that had opened the previous week. NBC News said Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testified on Aug. 25. The Los Angeles Times reported that Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg had been expected to testify later in the case.
The states alleged that Meta misrepresented the extent of child-related mental health harms from the apps. A court filing quoted by NBC News said Meta “denies the allegations against it and that it has any liability to the Plaintiffs.”
Reported payment totals differ by what is counted. CNBC said Meta agreed to pay a maximum of $16.7 billion in the coalition case. CBS News said Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to the states that sued. CNBC reported that some attorneys general’s $17.1 billion figure includes more than $459 million related to Cambridge Analytica claims from 2018, which it described as separate from the child-safety case. In a statement quoted by NBC News, Meta said, “The agreement includes a payment of approximately $18 billion, which can be used to fund youth online safety initiatives, among other state priorities.” CBS News reported that a Meta spokesperson said the company settled separately with Texas, which was not part of the multistate settlement, bringing the total payout to roughly $18 billion.
CNBC said the payment would be distributed in annual installments over a 10-year period. PBS NewsHour, citing Associated Press reporting, said Meta would release 30 percent of its stated total — about $5.3 billion — only if YouTube and TikTok implement similar safety features, including a one-hour daily time limit, a nighttime block, and age-assurance measures, and pay the same amount, split between the two companies.
Under the settlement, teen accounts would default to a two-hour daily limit on cumulative use across Facebook and Instagram, NBC News and CBS News reported. NBC News said teens would need a parent’s permission to disable the two-hour limit. CBS News said Meta will also bar minors from accessing Facebook and Instagram at night and mute push notifications during school hours. Deutsche Welle reported the nighttime restriction as a block from midnight to 6 a.m.
NBC News, citing the court filing, said Meta committed to “enhanced age assurance measures to prevent children from accessing the platform, or age restricted content available on the platform.” NBC News also reported additional teen-safety defaults, including hidden likes, a block on extreme makeup filters, a non-algorithmic feed option, and extra tools for parents.
Deutsche Welle reported that if industry peers also adopt the framework, Meta said it would reduce the daily limit to one hour per app and expand night hours to 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
NBC News said the court filing described the plaintiffs as 29 states. CBS News said the settlement resolves claims filed by 47 states, and the Los Angeles Times likewise described a deal involving 47 states.
The agreement does not end all related youth-harm litigation. Lawyers representing plaintiffs in other cases told CNBC, “Thousands of young people and public school districts still have claims pending in the MDL against Meta, as well as TikTok, Snap and YouTube, and we stand ready to continue that fight.”