Mark Zuckerberg · California · Google · Meta · Nation Thailand
Meta settlement tightens Facebook and Instagram rules for US teens
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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay up to about US$18 billion, or around THB630 billion, over 10 years to settle a case in which 29 US states alleged that the company designed its platforms to keep children and teenagers using them continuously, leading to addiction and harm to their mental health.
Key facts
- In addition to the payment, the settlement requires Meta to change how Facebook and Instagram operate for US users aged 13-17.
- In March 2026, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google negligent in their platform design and ordered the two companies to pay a total of US$6 million to a 20-year-old woman who said she had become addicted to Instagram and YouTube as a
- In New Mexico, Meta was also ordered to pay US$567 million in August 2026 in a child-protection case, in addition to US$375 million that a jury ordered the company to pay in the same case in March.
- Meta previously said that, if penalties were calculated at the maximum statutory rate, the case could result in fines of up to US$1.4 trillion.
- The US$1.4 trillion figure represented a maximum-penalty scenario, not an amount ordered by the court.
- The present settlement sets a maximum payment of about US$18 billion.
Summary
In addition to the payment, the settlement requires Meta to change how Facebook and Instagram operate for US users aged 13-17.
Their combined use will be limited to two hours a day, access will be blocked overnight by default, notifications will be reduced during school hours, like and reaction counts will be hidden, and age-verification measures will be strengthened.