Staff Editorial | The Chronicle
$18 billion. That’s how much money Meta Platforms agreed to pay over the course of the next decade to a coalition of United States (US) states and territories to resolve a major landmark lawsuit. In this lawsuit settled on August 26, Meta also agreed to begin enforcing tighter screen time and safety measures for minors, including a two-hour daily limit, revoked access to Instagram and Facebook from midnight until 6 am, no more notifications during school hours and increased parental supervision controls. The settlement ends the federal trial over claims that Meta gave the public misleading information regarding child safety and social media addiction on their apps.
The trial began when 29 US states alleged that Meta intentionally designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and teens, the apps deliberately harming adolescent mental health. The restrictions follow a global trend, resembling social media laws in countries like Australia and the United Kingdom. However, these countries have taken more dramatic measures, with Australia enacting a complete ban on social media for children under 16 and the United Kingdom working to enact similar measures.
The closest the US has ever come to a social media ban was in January 2025, when TikTok was shut down nationwide after the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act forced either the sale or ban of TikTok due to national security and privacy concerns. In 14 hours, the ban was lifted after President Donald Trump paused enforcement and allowed time for data to be transferred to US investors. In those 14 hours, online outrage exploded as creators feared losing their incomes and app users expressed anger at a loss of community.
In other words, we have seen a fraction of what would occur if a social media ban were to be put into place in the US, and the act seems unrealistic. At the same time, this is a pressing issue that must be addressed, and these measures will not effectively curb the issue at hand.
With rates of depression and suicidal ideation significantly higher than 10 years ago, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the importance of being educated on the harm of online platforms is more relevant than ever before.
Undeniably, social media has harmed our generation. Previously, social media platforms lacked enforced safety measures and did not conduct research—or at least did not make the research public–on the possible mental health impacts of social media before making the apps available to teenagers. In doing so, social media has contributed to rising adolescent anxiety and depression, become a medium for cyberbullying and led to low self-esteem for children and teens.
A picture of the dangers of online influence and the ways in which teens can easily be manipulated in unmonitored digital spaces is seen in Netflix’s Adolescence, a 2025 series. The show follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, arrested for the murder of a classmate after he was influenced by online misogyny and radicalization. While a dramatized version, the show opened eyes to the effects of social media on teens, sparking conversation about social media safety.
Acknowledging the effects is one step; Meta is now trying to lead the way in precautions to protect youth mental health, calling on other platforms like Snapchat and YouTube to join in doing so. But these measures are not enough to effectively combat teen misuse of social media.
From lying about their age to parents opting out of these features for their kids, there are too many ways for users to bypass these restrictions. This is a nuanced problem, and Meta’s new measures are only the first step in curbing the social media-related mental health crisis.
Sure, Meta may have settled the case and tacked on some new safety measures. But we still have a long way to go to find a substantial, widely effective solution to the toll that social media takes on teenagers’ mental health.
