Recently, Meta—the company that owns Facebook and Instagram—agreed to a massive $17 billion settlement in the United States. This happened after 47 states sued the company, arguing that its social media apps were hurting the privacy and mental health of teenagers.
To fix this, Meta is making major changes to how children under 18 can use its apps.
Strict New Rules for Teenagers
To stop kids from spending too much time online, Meta is putting several new limits in place:
Two-Hour Time Limit: Teens will only be allowed to scroll on these apps for two hours a day in total.
Sleep Protection: Between midnight and 6:00 AM, teen accounts will be locked so they can get proper sleep.
School Focus: During school hours (8:00 AM to 3:00 PM), the apps will not send any notifications to keep kids from getting distracted in class.
Making the Apps Healthier
Meta is also changing how the apps look and feel for young people to protect their mental health:
No More Endless Scrolling: The app will no longer let kids scroll forever. It will force the app to pause every 15 minutes to give them a “mindful break.”
Following Only: Teens will no longer see random, algorithm-suggested videos. They will only see posts from people they actually follow, in the order they were posted.
No Beauty Filters: Filters that change a user’s skin tone or face shape will be banned. This is to stop kids from feeling bad about their natural appearance.
Hidden Likes: To stop the pressure of trying to be popular, likes and reactions will be hidden from users under 18.
How Will the $17 Billion Be Spent?
Meta makes hundreds of billions of dollars, so they can afford this payout. However, they have specific rules for how the money will be used:
$2 Billion for Schools: Over the next 10 years, this money will be used to help schools create phone-free zones and to hire mental health experts for students.
The “Rival App” Challenge ($5.3 Billion): Meta is holding back $5.3 billion. They said they will only pay this money if their biggest rivals, like YouTube and TikTok, agree to set up the exact same rules for kids.
If those rival apps do agree, Meta promised to make their rules even stricter. They would lower the time limit to just one hour a day, lock the apps starting at 10:00 PM, and turn off Instagram completely during school hours.
What Does This Mean for Video Creators?
Kids and teens are a huge audience, bringing in billions of dollars for online creators. With these new limits, people who make videos specifically for children will have to change how they work.
Instead of making short, addictive videos, creators and sponsors might start focusing on healthier entertainment. This could include live sports, real-world events, or video games that don’t have ads.
Summary
This $17 billion deal is a huge step toward making the internet safer for children. Now, all eyes are on other big companies like TikTok and YouTube to see if they will join Meta in putting kids’ mental health first.