AUSTIN, Texas — Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to pay more than $1 billion to the state of Texas and implement new protections for children and teenagers on its platforms as part of a major settlement over online child safety.
The settlement was announced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Aug. 26. Under the agreement, Meta will provide more than $1 billion to Texas, with the funds directed toward youth mental-health services, crisis resources, digital-literacy programs, after-school initiatives and grants for Texas schools.
The agreement also requires Meta to introduce a range of new safeguards for younger users on Facebook and Instagram.
Among the measures outlined by the Texas Attorney General’s Office are stricter age-assurance requirements, a default two-hour daily usage limit for teenagers, and notifications that will be disabled by default during school hours unless a parent changes the setting. Likes and reactions will also be hidden by default for younger users to reduce social comparison.
Meta will additionally introduce a nighttime access mode designed to restrict notifications and certain other features for children during specified nighttime hours. The company will continue measures aimed at limiting age-inappropriate content and supporting parental supervision.
Texas Calls Settlement a Major Win
Paxton described the agreement as a major step toward strengthening online protections for children. “This is a historic settlement and a major win for the safety of Texas children,” Paxton said in announcing the deal.
The Texas settlement follows allegations that Meta’s platforms failed to adequately protect children and teenagers online. The agreement resolves the state’s case against the company without requiring Meta to admit wrongdoing.
Separate From Multistate Meta Settlement
The Texas agreement should not be confused with a separate, much larger settlement Meta reached with dozens of other states over allegations involving Facebook and Instagram’s impact on young users.
That multistate agreement is worth up to roughly $17 billion and involves 29 states, according to Reuters. It includes measures such as limits on children’s daily usage, restrictions on nighttime access and additional safety protections. Meta has denied wrongdoing.
Texas was not part of that multistate case and negotiated its own agreement with Meta. The two settlements nevertheless represent a major escalation in efforts by U.S. states to hold social-media companies accountable for the safety and well-being of young users.
More Changes Ahead for Teen Social Media
The Texas agreement comes as lawmakers, state attorneys general and families across the United States continue to scrutinize the effects of social-media platforms on children. Meta’s new requirements in Texas are expected to affect how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, including how much time they spend on the platforms and when they receive notifications.
Paxton’s office said the settlement is part of its broader effort to strengthen protections for children online. The Texas Attorney General is also scheduled to take TikTok to trial in the fall of 2026 in a separate case involving allegations related to child safety.
The agreements involving Meta could ultimately become an important test of how far state governments can go in requiring technology companies to change the design and operation of social-media platforms to protect minors.
