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Meta’s billion-dollar settlement will change how the two social media sites work. Credit: Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket

Meta today said it will implement major changes to Facebook and Instagram’s child safety features as part of a settlement agreement with almost all U.S. states.

For a while now, multiple studies have attempted to demonstrate how social media apps can have a detrimental impact on teen mental health. Meta-owned platforms like Instagram and Facebook have been at the center of discussions about the negative impact on children, and that’s led to some high-profile lawsuits. Today, Meta is ending one long…

Under the terms of its $18 billion settlement to resolve claims brought by 29 U.S. states over children’s safety, Meta on Wednesday agreed to sweeping changes designed to restrict minors’ access to Instagram and Facebook. The changes include a daily time limit, a restrictive “Night Mode,” autoplay controls, and more.

Picture this. Meta flies parenting influencers to a waterfront venue overlooking Sydney Harbour, hands out personalized scout badges and gourmet s’mores, then asks them to tell their followers that blanket bans on teen social media use are a bad idea.