Meta has agreed to sweeping design overhauls for teen accounts on Facebook and Instagram to combat social media addiction and protect minors. The massive policy shift follows an up-to-$18 billion landmark settlement between Meta and a coalition of roughly 50 U.S. states and territories. Under the agreement, users under the age of 18 will automatically be transitioned into highly restricted accounts with default daily time limits, mandatory overnight blocks, and hidden social validation features.
Core Guardrails & Account Controls
The upcoming features are designed to disrupt endless scrolling, reduce peer comparison, and hand control back to parents:
- Two-Hour Daily Limit: Teens will face a hard default limit of two combined hours of daily access across both platforms. Only a parent or verified guardian can approve a less restrictive setting.
- Midnight Blackout (Night Mode): Most app functions—including viewing or posting to the main Feed, Stories, Explore, and Reels—will be entirely blocked from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.. Direct messaging will remain active so teens can still reach family or friends.
- School Hour Muting: Push notifications will be automatically silenced between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. during the school year to minimize classroom distractions.
- Non-Algorithmic Feed Option: To counter hyper-targeted engagement, minors will be given the option to switch to a chronological feed that only shows posts from accounts they intentionally follow.
- Hidden Metric and Filters: Like counts and reaction tallies on a teen’s posts will be hidden by default. Additionally, “extreme makeup” and cosmetic surgery filters will be completely disabled to promote healthier body image standards.
- Continuous Scroll Interrupters: Meta will introduce automatic prompts and pauses after 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous app usage, forcing teens to physically tap or swipe to acknowledge screen-time warnings. Autoplay for videos will also be switched off by default.
