Meta settlement: New Facebook, Instagram limits for Minnesota teens

(FOX 9) - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday that Meta – the parent company of Facebook and Instagram – has agreed to a massive settlement worth up to $17.1 billion that brings sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram.

Minnesota social media lawsuit

What we know:

Meta agreed to pay Minnesota at least $214 million and up to $307 million as part of the massive settlement that was reached on Wednesday. Meta agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion and at least $12.2 billion, depending on whether TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube agree to comparable terms.

Minnesota will also receive an additional $8.5 million related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The sweeping agreement stems from a 2023 lawsuit filed by Ellison and a coalition of 44 attorneys general accusing Meta of knowingly designing addictive features for young users. The settlement is subject to court approval.

How will it affect users?

Local perspective:

The settlement requires Meta to put in place a series of changes to protect teen users on Facebook and Instagram. Those changes include:

• Hard-cap daily time limits and "Productive Pauses" for children: for Instagram and Facebook, a combined two-hour daily time limit with mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling. These limits remain in effect for five years.  (If Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube adopt comparable terms, the daily limit on each platform will drop to 60 minutes for 10 years.)
• "Nighttime blocks" restricting children’s access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.  (If Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube adopt comparable terms, the nighttime block would be extended from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for 10 years.)
• Limited school-time access for children, eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the school year.
• Robust age-assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users.
• Feed options to adjust the algorithm and "doomscrolling."
• Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to suicide and self-harm.
• Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls.
• Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible "like" counts that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens.

Ellison hails landmark deal

What they're saying:

In a statement, Attorney General Keith Ellison wrote:

"It’s my job to protect Minnesota’s children from exploitation, including by massive corporations, and this settlement we’ve won represents a major victory for protecting Minnesota’s and America’s children. The groundbreaking changes to Instagram and Facebook in this settlement are more comprehensive than any court has ordered so far. When fully implemented, they will create a safer and more healthy experience for our kids to connect through social media. While these changes are long overdue, I give Meta credit for being the first major platform to agree to a comprehensive resolution for youth safety online. I expect this settlement to set a template that will fundamentally transform how the whole social-media industry designs products for kids and teens and safeguards their experience. Keeping our kids safe online is my goal."