Instagram and Facebook notifications will go silent during school hours for teen users under a $1 billion-plus settlement Texas reached with Meta Platforms Inc. on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
The deal applies to all users under 18, including Clear Creek ISD students. Default restrictions include a two-hour daily screen-time cap, a notification blackout from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, and an overnight block between midnight and 6 a.m. Only a parent can lift those limits.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the state-specific agreement alongside a broader settlement in which Meta agreed to pay states up to $17 billion over 10 years, resolving claims filed by 47 states. The Texas portion will fund youth mental health services, digital literacy programs, after-school initiatives and grants for Texas schools under a 10-year framework.
"Not only will Meta pay over $1 billion to Texas, but the company will also implement significant new safety features to better protect children's precious minds and well-being on its platforms," Paxton said in a statement reported by Fox 26 Houston.
The settlement resolves allegations that Meta designed its platforms to be addictive to minors, allowed children under 13 on its apps and failed to protect youth from harmful content. Meta denied all allegations.
What changes for teen accounts
Beyond the time and notification limits, the settlement requires Meta to:
- Hide "like" counts and reactions on posts made by minors
- Ban cosmetic surgery image filters for users under 18
- Offer a non-personalized feed not driven by algorithmic targeting
- Implement age-verification measures and content controls addressing bullying, eating disorders and self-harm
According to The New York Times, Meta said new features will roll out within six months, while age-verification changes could take up to a year. The proposed settlement still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers before taking effect.
Local advocate: limits alone aren't enough
Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston, told Fox 26 that screen-time caps address only part of the problem facing young users.
"When you can set a two-hour time limit, certainly that addresses that issue and helps a child," Mankarious said. "When it comes to worrying about who a child can talk to and what a child sees, we have to understand that within five minutes on any platform, a child can almost see anything and talk to anyone anywhere about any topic he or she may be interested in."
Crime Stoppers of Houston is working to reach 10 million Texas students from kindergarten through 12th grade with digital safety education, according to Mankarious. She said nearly 50% of teens report feeling social media has become harmful to them.
Meta's chief legal officer, C.J. Mahoney, called on TikTok and YouTube to adopt the same framework in an official statement, saying teens move across dozens of apps and need an industry-wide solution. The settlement does not resolve separate legal claims Meta faces from school districts.
A special Texas legislative hearing on social media is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15. Mankarious urged League City parents and others to share their experiences at that hearing.
