Beyond the 806
Meta to pay Texas $1 billion in child safety case
Meta will pay Texas more than $1 billion and overhaul how its platforms treat teenage users, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday, in a settlement that forces Facebook and Instagram to verify ages more strictly and cap teen screen time at two hours a day. The deal also shuts off all notifications from both platforms by default during school hours and introduces a nighttime mode to restrict access for teens.
The deal also shuts off all notifications from both platforms by default during school hours and introduces a nighttime mode to restrict access for teens. It is the first settlement of this scale that Meta has reached with an individual state. Texas negotiated it separately from a $17 billion multi-state agreement involving 33 other states that Texas did not join.
For parents here in Lubbock, that distinction matters. Texas fought its own fight and landed its own terms, which means these protections are not tied to the outcome of that broader case or any ongoing trial in it. The two-hour daily limit, the school-hours notification blackout, and the tighter age checks all come directly from the Texas agreement.
For families raising kids in front of screens, the changes are concrete: Instagram and Facebook will have to build guardrails that did not exist before, rather than simply promising to do better. Whether Meta enforces those guardrails consistently is the question that follows every settlement like this one.
Texas' $1 billion payout dwarfs what most states collected individually from the 33-state agreement.
Common questions
What does Meta's Texas settlement actually require the company to do?
- Meta must verify ages more strictly, cap teen screen time at two hours a day, turn off all notifications during school hours by default, and introduce a nighttime mode restricting access for teens on both Facebook and Instagram.
Why did Texas settle separately instead of joining the other states?
- Texas negotiated its own deal apart from a $17 billion multi-state agreement involving 33 other states. That means Texas secured its own terms, and the protections for Texas teens are not tied to the outcome of that separate case.
How much is Meta paying Texas in this settlement?
- Meta is paying Texas more than $1 billion. Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the settlement Wednesday, calling it the first settlement of this scale that Meta has reached with any individual state.
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