The Facebook and Instagram owner settled with 47 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories on Wednesday, agreeing to pay financial penalties and make changes to its products over claims that its platforms endangered children. Meta agreed to limit how long teenagers can spend on its apps, allow teens to turn off “autoplay" on videos, and invest more in age-verification software. That last measure could be particularly important: Australia became the first country to ban social media for teens last year but has struggled to enforce the ban while young people find workarounds. After the settlement, Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”
Hard Numbers
A big settlement for Big Tech
Will Fitzpatrick
By Natalie JohnsonAugust 27, 2026
Natalie Johnson
Natalie Johnson is the Deputy Head of Content at GZERO Media and edits the GZERO Daily newsletter. Her career has spanned producing for broadcast cable news at outlets like MSNBC, VICE TV, and NewsNation, as well as writing for digital media. She's also the creator and co-editor of an anthology called "Black Love Letters," published in 2023 through John Legend's GetLifted book imprint. Natalie studied political science at Scripps College and holds a master's degree in sociology from Columbia University.
