SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama will receive at least $117 million through a landmark multistate settlement requiring Meta to change how Facebook and Instagram serve children and teenagers.
The agreement stems from allegations that Meta designed social-media features that encouraged compulsive use among young people while failing to provide adequate warnings about potential harm. Meta did not admit wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall joined attorneys general from dozens of states and territories in announcing the agreement. The national settlement guarantees approximately $12.7 billion in payments over 10 years, with additional money possible if other major platforms implement comparable protections.
Under the agreement, Facebook and Instagram must establish a combined two-hour daily limit for users younger than 18. Young users will encounter mandatory interruptions after 15 minutes of continuous activity and again after 60 and 90 minutes.
Meta must also limit overnight access, restrict notifications during school hours, and strengthen age-verification systems intended to identify children using inaccurate birth dates. Teen accounts will receive heightened privacy and safety protections by default.
Other required changes include hiding public “like” counts, limiting potentially harmful appearance-based features and allowing young users to receive content that is not selected through personalized recommendation systems.
Marshall said the settlement demonstrates that Alabama will hold technology companies accountable when children are placed at risk. His office said it intends to monitor Meta’s compliance and watch for loopholes that predators or other bad actors could exploit.
The agreement represents one of the nation’s largest efforts to regulate how social-media platforms interact with children. Advocates have long expressed concern about links between excessive online engagement and anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, bullying and negative body image.
Some child-safety advocates say the settlement is an important beginning but argue that daily limits alone will not eliminate risks created by addictive design features or harmful content recommendations. They are calling for continuing independent oversight and stronger protections across the entire technology industry.
For Alabama parents, the agreement could bring noticeable changes to the applications their children use every day. Families will still need to monitor online activity, establish household expectations, and speak openly with children about privacy, unsafe contacts, and emotional well-being.
Implementation will occur in stages, meaning some requirements may not appear immediately. Alabama’s portion of the financial settlement and the final use of that money will also require continued public attention.