Meta is preparing stricter limits for teenagers using Instagram and Facebook.
The changes include a two-hour daily limit, overnight restrictions and fewer notifications during school hours.
Teenagers will need permission from a parent to switch off some of these protections.
However, they have not yet introduced the changes worldwide.
They are part of an agreement between Meta and 52 attorneys general representing US states, territories and the District of Columbia.
The agreement still requires court approval.
A two-hour daily limit
Teenagers covered by the agreement will have a default limit of two hours per day.
The limit covers both Instagram and Facebook.
This means one hour on Instagram and another hour on Facebook would use the full two-hour allowance.
Meta says it will also attempt to count time spent across multiple accounts belonging to the same person.
A teenager cannot turn off the limit without permission from a parent.
The system will keep direct messages available after the time limit is reached. This allows teenagers to continue communicating with friends and family.
According to Meta’s official announcement, the limits will automatically apply to users under 18 in participating US jurisdictions.
Instagram and Facebook restricted at night
Meta will introduce Night Mode between midnight and 6:00 a.m.
During this period, teenagers will not be able to browse their feeds, watch Reels, view Stories or use the Explore page.
They will also be unable to publish regular posts.
Direct messages will remain accessible.
Parents will be able to manage these settings through Meta’s supervision tools.
Fewer notifications during school
The app mutes regular notifications between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Messages and important account-security alerts may still appear.
Meta will also show a reminder after every 15 minutes of continuous use.
More reminders will appear when a teenager reaches 60 minutes and 90 minutes of total usage.
The idea is to make young users more aware of how long they have been scrolling.
More control over the feed
Teenagers will be able to make a non-personalised feed their default.
Meta’s recommendation system will not arrange this feed to keep users interested.
Parents can also require their teenager to use this option.
Autoplay can be disabled as well. Videos will no longer start automatically when this setting is active.
Like and reaction counts will also be hidden from teenagers by default.
Meta says it will continue blocking cosmetic-surgery filters for teens. It plans to extend that restriction to extreme makeup filters.
Stronger parental controls
Parents will receive more information about how their teenagers use Instagram and Facebook.
This may include alerts when a teenager connects another account or tries to change a protective setting.
Parents may also receive warnings about interactions with accounts Meta considers suspicious.
Meta says it is improving its systems for identifying users who enter a false adult birthday.
The company also plans to strengthen how it detects and removes accounts belonging to children under 13.
An $18 billion agreement
The agreement includes payments of approximately $18 billion over ten years.
Meta says part of that money may be used for online-safety programmes for young people and other state priorities.
Some of the money will only be released if TikTok and YouTube introduce similar protections and make matching payments.
Meta has publicly called on both companies to join the agreement.
What this means for Ghana
These automatic restrictions currently apply only to participating areas of the United States.
Parents in Ghana should not expect every feature to appear immediately.
However, similar limits can already be created using tools built into smartphones.
On Android, open Settings and search for Digital Wellbeing.
On an iPhone, open Settings → Screen Time → App Limits.
Parents can use these tools to limit Instagram and Facebook, reduce notifications and restrict late-night use.
[Read our guide to setting smartphone app limits]([ADD YOUR INTERNAL LINK HERE]).
The settings are useful, but they should not replace a proper conversation.
Teenagers need to understand why the limits exist. The goal should be better sleep, improved concentration and a healthier relationship with social media.
The new Meta restrictions are a significant step.
We will have to see how well Meta identifies teenagers, handles multiple accounts and enforces the limits once the agreement receives court approval.
We go talk more chale.
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