Meta and Florida implement new social media restrictions for teenagers

Meta is introducing new protections for Instagram and Facebook accounts used by teenagers, including a two-hour daily usage limit, an overnight block from midnight to 6 a.m., and muted notifications during school hours. These measures follow an August agreement between Meta and 52 attorneys general across the United States and its territories. The agreement also features parental controls, hidden like counts, and options for non-algorithmic feeds.

In Florida, Attorney General James Uthmeier has proposed additional strict regulations following more than 2,000 child predator arrests, many of which were linked to online chat rooms. Proposed measures in Florida include a default quiet mode from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., usage caps of two hours daily and 60 hours monthly, and a mandatory human review within 48 hours of reports involving exploitation or solicitation. The state is also moving forward with House Bill 3, which bans social media accounts for children under 14, after successfully defending the law in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.