Meta Imposes Two-Hour Social Media Limit for US Teens as Countries Tighten Rules for Children

Washington DC: Meta has agreed to impose a default two-hour daily limit on teenagers’ use of Facebook and Instagram in the United States, marking one of the most significant restrictions yet imposed on a major social media platform as governments around the world step up efforts to protect children online.

The measure is part of a settlement worth up to $18 billion between Meta and attorneys general representing nearly all US states, territories and Washington DC. The agreement resolves allegations that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to keep young users engaged while failing to adequately address risks to children.

Under the settlement, users under 18 will face a cumulative two-hour daily limit across Facebook and Instagram. Teenagers will not be able to disable the restriction without parental permission. Meta will also block access to its apps by default between midnight and 6 am and mute most notifications during school hours.

Teen users will receive reminders after every 15 minutes of continuous use and additional prompts after reaching 60 and 90 minutes of daily activity. Meta will also hide like counts by default, restrict certain cosmetic filters and strengthen parental supervision and age-verification measures.

The changes are expected to be introduced gradually, with several provisions remaining in place for up to a decade. Meta has not admitted wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

The company has also called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt similar restrictions, arguing that measures limited to one platform could simply push teenagers towards competing services. A portion of the settlement is conditional on rival platforms making comparable commitments.

The agreement comes as governments increasingly move beyond voluntary parental controls and introduce legal requirements governing how children access social media.

Australia leads the push for age-based restrictions

Australia has adopted one of the world's strictest approaches. Since December 10, 2025, major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit and X have been required to take reasonable steps to prevent users under 16 from maintaining accounts.

The Australian model has become a reference point for governments considering whether children should be allowed to access social media at all.

The approach differs significantly from the new US system. While Australia places the emphasis on an age threshold, the Meta settlement in the US focuses on controlling how teenagers use the platforms once they have accounts.

Following Australia's footsteps, UK, South Korea, Malaysia, France, Brazil, Turkey, UAE and others have also adopted similar laws. Several other countries are also considering similar options to restrict access to social media for teenagers.