Utah has secured a landmark $12.2 billion settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. to implement sweeping safety reforms for children and teens on Instagram and Facebook, according to the Utah Attorney General's office. The agreement, which resolves claims that Meta designed its platforms with addictive features that harmed youth mental health, was announced on Aug. 26, 2026.
Massive Financial and Legal Scope
The settlement, which remains subject to court approval, resolves legal claims brought by Utah alongside 46 other states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The litigation, which began when the Utah Department of Commerce's Division of Consumer Protection filed a complaint on Oct. 24, 2023, alleged that Meta knowingly exposed young users to serious mental-health harms and misled the public regarding platform safety.
Under the terms of the agreement, Utah is expected to receive $212 million over the next ten years. However, state officials noted that Utah could receive up to $301 million if other industry leaders, such as Snap, TikTok, and YouTube, agree to substantially similar injunctive terms as Meta.
Holding Meta Accountable
The settlement is one of the largest consumer protection agreements in United States history, comparable in scale to the Big Tobacco settlements of the 1990s. Attorney General Derek Brown stated that the deal ensures Meta must prioritize child safety over its current business model.
"This gives Utah families a leg up in protecting their kids from harmful content and compulsive habits with Instagram and Facebook," Brown said. He added that the settlement delivers consequential and enforceable changes that allow the state to continue using legal tools to protect children online.
New Platform Safety Mandates
The agreement mandates several new safety features for Instagram and Facebook users under 18. These include robust age assurance measures to verify the age of young users and the implementation of age-appropriate content controls with stronger safeguards against bullying and content promoting suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders.
Additionally, the settlement introduces significant usage restrictions, including a combined two-hour daily time limit across Instagram and Facebook. This includes mandatory "Productive Pause" breaks after 15, 60, and 90 minutes of continuous use. These rules will be in effect for five years, though they may drop to 60 minutes per platform for 10 years if competitors like TikTok and YouTube adopt comparable terms.
Restrictions on Engagement
The reforms also target specific features linked to poor youth mental health, such as beauty filters and visible "like" counts, which are subject to limits on social-comparison features. To prevent nighttime disruption, the settlement requires "nighttime blocks" that restrict children's access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
Furthermore, the platforms will be prohibited from sending push notifications to children on school-year weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., as well as late at night. Users under 18 will also have the option for a non-personalized algorithmic feed. The implementation and effectiveness of these features will be regularly assessed by the settling states and an independent auditor.
State Leadership Response
Governor Spencer Cox expressed that the settlement proves the necessity of determined state action to protect children from social media companies. He noted that the reforms will help protect millions of children and clarify that Meta could have implemented these changes earlier to protect young users.
Margaret Woolley Busse, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Commerce, emphasized that the settlement holds Meta accountable for the harm inflicted on children. She stated that the state will vigilantly enforce these reforms to create a safer online environment for Utah's youth.
Parental Guidance and Context
The settlement also addresses long-standing claims regarding Meta's sharing of nonpublic Facebook user information with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, prior to the 2016 election.
While these safety changes represent the most comprehensive measures ever secured from Instagram and Facebook, state leaders continue to advise caution. Utah officials recommend that parents delay introducing social media to children as long as possible, utilize the new safety features under supervision, and maintain open dialogue with children about the risks of excessive social media use.
