Meta settlement would cap teen social media at two hours a day, bringing Alaska millions

Alaska is one of dozens of states behind a proposed settlement that would change how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, and bring the state millions of dollars.

Meta would default users ages 13 to 17 to a two-hour daily limit across both platforms, excluding messaging, settings and long-form video or audio of at least 22 minutes. Most features would shut off from midnight to 6 am, though messaging and settings stay available. Most push notifications would be muted from 8 am to 3 pm on school weekdays and from 10 pm to 7 am, with exceptions for messaging and account security.

Teens would get a notice after 15 minutes of continuous use and mandatory pauses at 60 and 90 minutes of cumulative daily use. Like and reaction counts would be hidden by default. Teens would be offered a chronological feed made up of accounts they follow. Meta must prevent them from applying a defined class of filters that simulate cosmetic surgery, and must strengthen systems designed to detect and remove accounts belonging to children under 13.

Parents enrolled in Meta's supervision tools can approve less restrictive settings on several of those defaults, though not on all of the settlement's obligations.

The two-hour limit and overnight block run five years. The broader agreement runs 10, with independent auditing. Stricter limits take effect if Snap, TikTok and YouTube adopt comparable protections.

The Department of Law announced around $16 million for Alaska. The agreement lists $16.6 million in guaranteed installment payments to the state, and separately lists Alaska among the states receiving a payment tied to Cambridge Analytica-related claims, at $4.07 million. That comes to roughly $20.7 million guaranteed, with another $7.18 million contingent on conditions being met elsewhere in the industry.

The agreement splits Alaska's share in two. Half goes to the General Fund, usable for any lawful purpose, and half to the Consumer Protection Statutory Designated Program Receipts Fund, for enforcement under state consumer protection law.

Meta will pay at least about $12.1 billion nationally, rising toward $17.1 billion if those industry conditions are met. The states allege Meta designed its platforms with features that encouraged excessive use by young people, exposed them to serious harms and misled the public about safety. Meta denies the allegations and liability, and the proposed judgment resolves the claims without a final adjudication. It requires court approval.

Alaska already regulates phones in schools. A 2025 law, enacted after the Legislature overrode a veto, requires every school district to adopt a policy governing nonschool-issued wireless devices during regular school hours, including lunch and passing periods.