California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a proposed settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. on August 26, 2026, involving a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general. The settlement aims to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Meta designed Instagram and Facebook features that drive compulsive use by children and teens to their mental and physical detriment. The agreement, which remains subject to court approval through a consent judgment, includes a proposed monetary payment of up to $17 billion to the states over ten years.
Under the proposed terms, Meta must implement several transformations to reduce potential harm within months. These include a default daily time limit of two hours for users under 18, which could drop to one hour if other social media platforms agree to similar terms. Additionally, a default nighttime block between midnight and 6 a.m. will be implemented for users under 18, with the potential to expand to 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. if other platforms adopt similar measures.
Other proposed injunctive terms include a ban on displaying likes or reactions to users under 18 and a ban on cosmetic procedure image filters for that same age group. Meta would also be required to implement blocks on notifications during school hours and overnight for users under 18. Furthermore, the company must provide an option for users under 18 to use a non-personalized feed that does not use algorithms to target them with content designed to encourage endless scrolling.
The settlement also requires Meta to implement robust age assurance measures to detect users under 18 and identify and remove children under 13. The company must also appoint an independent auditor with expansive access to information to oversee compliance. Additionally, Meta is prohibited from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements regarding its safety features.
If the settlement is approved by the court, California is expected to receive between $1.5 billion and $2.1 billion. While the Legislature and Governor will ultimately decide how a significant portion of California's payment is spent, the proposal earmarks the funds for purposes related to preventing or remediating mental health or other harms to young Californians associated with social media use.
The lawsuit, which was filed in 2023, alleged that Meta illegally collected data from children under 13 and misled the public regarding the safety of its platforms. The litigation involved allegations that the company violated federal and state laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and California's Unfair Competition Law. The trial for this case began on August 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
