META TO PAY TEXAS MORE THAN $1 BILLION IN CHILD SAFETY SETTLEMENT

🚨 Meta will pay Texas more than $1 billion and rebuild how teens use its apps.

Click2Houston reports that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the settlement with Meta Platforms, which his office says will fund remediation efforts across the state.

The product changes are the part investors should read twice.

Stricter age-assurance measures. A two-hour daily limit for teen users. Notifications off by default during school hours unless a parent changes the setting. Likes and reactions hidden by default to reduce social comparison. A nighttime access mode that restricts notifications and certain features for children by default.

Meta will also continue limiting age-inappropriate content and providing parental supervision tools, according to the announcement.

📉 Engagement is the product. Time caps, muted notifications and hidden likes all pull at the same lever.

This is not Paxton's first ten-figure tech check. His office previously secured $1.4 billion from Meta over allegations it unlawfully collected Texans' biometric data, and $1.375 billion from Google over alleged privacy violations. His office says the new Meta agreement is the third settlement above $1 billion he has secured from a Big Tech company.

More is queued. In July he secured an agreement requiring Discord to add stronger age-assurance and default safety protections for Texas children. He is scheduled to go to trial against TikTok in fall 2026.

"This is a historic settlement and a major win for the safety of Texas children," Paxton said.

Would you want a two-hour daily cap on your own teen's apps?

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