Meta is set to overhaul the user experience for minors on its flagship platforms, Instagram and Facebook, following an $18 billion settlement. The company confirmed that it will introduce a series of protective measures aimed at curbing excessive social media consumption among younger demographics in the United States. Key features of this rollout include a mandatory night curfew, which will restrict access during late hours, and a hard cap on daily usage, limiting time spent on the apps to two hours per day.

These changes represent a significant shift in how Meta manages its younger user base, moving from voluntary parental controls to automated, platform-wide restrictions. While the company has framed these updates as a commitment to digital safety, the move comes directly in the wake of the massive financial settlement. The legal agreement underscores growing regulatory pressure on tech giants to address the potential psychological and developmental impacts of social media on children. By implementing these structural barriers, Meta aims to align its operations with new safety standards, though the long-term effectiveness of these automated limits remains a subject of debate among child safety advocates and tech analysts.