Theguardian iconTheguardianAug 26, 2026

Meta agrees to major changes to Facebook and Instagram as it settles US trial over teen addiction for up to $17bn

Dozens of US states had accused the tech giant of addicting and harming children with dangerous products. The agreement curtails a major trial in California and will require the social media company to pay up to $17bn.

Meta agrees to major changes to Facebook and Instagram as it settles US trial over teen addiction for up to $17bn

Share this story

Send the public story page.

Useful takeaways from this story.

Dozens of US states had accused the tech giant of addicting and harming children with dangerous products.

The agreement curtails a major trial in California and will require the social media company to pay up to $17bn.

Meta agreed to establish safeguards for teenage users, including daily usage limits and blocks on nighttime use nationwide in the US.

Building the complete brief

The page is ready to read now. The fuller skim-friendly version will appear here automatically.

The useful part

Dozens of US states had accused the tech giant of addicting and harming children with dangerous products. The agreement curtails a major trial in California and will require the social media company to pay up to $17bn. Meta agreed to establish safeguards for teenage users, including daily usage limits and blocks on nighttime use nationwide in the US.

Details worth keeping

US tech giant agrees to establish further protections for teens such as daily usage limits and blocks on nighttime use Meta agreed to significant changes to its Instagram and Facebook apps in a settlement that ended a landmark lawsuit on Wednesday.

Keep reading in the app

Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.

Open in app