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Today, we are announcing an agreement with a bipartisan group of 52 attorneys general across US states, territories, and the District of Columbia, building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the years, we have consistently partnered with parents and experts \u2014 listening, learning, and building. That\u2019s why we launched <\/span>Teen Accounts<\/span><\/a> in 2024, to bring automatic protections to teens, and more control for parents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta. We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that\u2019s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.<\/span><\/p>\n While this is an important step, the fact is that teens move fluidly between dozens of apps a day. All platforms should empower parents and support teens by putting the same measures in place, because we know that when teens are restricted on one app, they simply move to another.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For meaningful progress to happen, we urge TikTok and YouTube to join us<\/a> and state attorneys general in adopting this new standard, to ensure teens use social media in a healthy and responsible way.<\/span><\/p>\n Pending judicial approval, in participating US states and territories, these protections and controls will automatically apply to under-18s on Instagram and Facebook. The majority of the terms are required to remain in place for 10 years.<\/span><\/p>\n The agreement includes a payment of approximately $18 billion, which can be used to fund youth online safety initiatives, among other state priorities. The payment will be distributed in annual installments over a 10-year period. Participating states will receive approximately 70% (approximately $12.7 billion) of the allocated payment over the decade. The remaining 30% (approximately $5.3 billion) will be released only after two specific conditions are met.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We expect to accrue a legal expense of approximately $10 billion in Q3\u201926 related to the agreement. This charge was not contemplated in the expense range that was provided in the Q2 earnings call. Otherwise, the guidance ranges provided in our July earnings release remain unchanged.<\/span><\/p>\n The agreement is designed to drive industry-wide adoption, ensuring teens receive consistent protections across the apps they use most, like YouTube and TikTok. If industry peers adopt this new standard, certain provisions will be strengthened.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The majority of the terms are required to remain in place for 10 years, but our Time Limit and Night Mode features will start with a five-year commitment. However, if industry peers sign on to the agreement, it will both extend this commitment to 10 years and prompt stronger default limits \u2014 reducing the Daily Limit to one hour per app and expanding Night Mode hours to 10:00 PM\u20137:00 AM (up from midnight\u20136:00 AM).<\/span><\/p>\n The agreement will also establish an independent social media research foundation. Meta will share consented user data with the foundation to advance independent research into teen well-being and grow our collective understanding of how to best support teens online.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, an independent auditor will test and report to the states on Meta\u2019s compliance with the agreement, reviewing Meta\u2019s compliance with its terms annually for five years.<\/span><\/p>\n On the agreement, C.J. Mahoney, Chief Legal Officer at Meta, said: <\/b> We\u2019re pleased to launch these new protections, and we\u2019ll continue to work with parents, policymakers, and regulators around the world to further our shared goal of supporting teens and empowering parents online.<\/span><\/p>\n A bipartisan group of 52 attorneys general across US states, territories, and the District of Columbia have joined this multistate agreement:<\/b><\/p>\n Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia,Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, N. Mariana Islands, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This post contains forward-looking statements, including about Meta\u2019s business outlook. You should not rely on these statements as predictions of future events. Additional information regarding potential risks and uncertainties about our business and financial results can be found in our most recent Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Meta undertakes no obligation to update these statements as a result of new information or future events.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nCalling on TikTok and YouTube to Join Us<\/h2>\n
New Protections for Teens and Stronger Controls for Parents<\/h2>\n
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Financial Details<\/h2>\n
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Encouraging Industry-Wide Adoption<\/h2>\n
Additional Research and Oversight<\/h2>\n
<\/b>\u201cI\u2019m pleased to announce that Meta has reached an agreement with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general from around the country on a new set of rules governing teens\u2019 use of social media. The framework we\u2019ve negotiated will empower parents to easily manage how their children access our platforms. Our new Time Limit commitments, Night Mode features and usage limits during school hours set the right path forward for our whole industry, but this framework will only work if all our peers join us. Because teens move fluidly across dozens of apps, we need an industry-wide solution. We therefore call on our industry peers, TikTok and YouTube, to implement this new framework, right away. As a parent, I\u2019m proud of both the work Meta has done to protect kids historically, and of this new groundbreaking agreement. But its success depends on all other social media platforms following Meta\u2019s lead.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n