CORRECTION APTOPIX US Meta Trial
Victoria Hinks gets emotional after talking about her daughter with the media outside court after tech giant Meta reached a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, in Oakland, Calif. CORRECTION: Corrects spelling of last name from Hicks to Hinks and removes settlement amount
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Kids under 18 will soon see a host of changes to their Instagram and Facebook experiences thanks to a historic $18 billion settlement Meta Platforms reached Wednesday with 48 U.S. states. Besides the money, which will be paid out over a decade, Meta has agreed to strengthen its age estimates to keep kids under 13 off its platforms and teens in age-appropriate accounts, enact a hard limit of two hours a day for users under 18, block kids from the apps from midnight to 6 a.m. and hide like counts, among other changes. But critics and children’s advocates cautioned it will not solve its myriad problems overnight.