Published : 28 Aug 2026, 04:17 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
Psychologists and child advocates have welcomed a landmark settlement over allegations that Meta’s platforms harmed young users, but many remain doubtful that the company’s new safeguards will significantly improve adolescent mental health, The New York Times (NYT) reports.
For users under 18, Meta plans to impose a default two-hour daily limit, restrict access during nighttime and school hours, curb cosmetic surgery and extreme makeup filters, disable autoplay, and introduce prompts encouraging more intentional use.
“There’s a desire to say with this kind of verdict and these kinds of changes, ‘This is going to solve the problem — this is going to protect teens’ mental health,’” Jacqueline Nesi, an associate professor of psychiatry and human behaviour at Brown University was quoted as saying by the NYT.
But Dr Nesi said research paints a far more complicated picture. While excessive social media use can displace sleep, exercise and face-to-face interaction, and has been associated with anxiety, she said the claim that social media is the main cause of youth mental health problems “is just not supported with the research”.
According to the NYT, experts nevertheless viewed the settlement as an important symbolic step. They welcome the initiative, saying the agreement could push Meta toward safer platform design, though warning of teenagers moving to other services without similar regulation across the industry.
Researchers also highlighted sleep as a major concern, NYT reports. Dr Nesi said technology and social media often interfere with teenagers’ sleep, potentially worsening anxiety and depression.
Meta will restrict Facebook and Instagram use between midnight and 6 am, although she leaves the question whether these protections will actually lead to more sleep for teens.
The NYT reported that other experts questioned whether two hours is a meaningful measure of healthy use.
Clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair noted that six hours of sleep is insufficient and argued that notification restrictions should extend beyond school hours to give teenagers uninterrupted time for homework and other activities.
Some changes, however, won stronger support. Sophia Choukas-Bradley of the University of Pittsburgh said features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay can keep adolescents hooked by constantly presenting the possibility of another reward.
She also welcomed limits on cosmetic filters, which she said can intensify unrealistic appearance standards and contribute to body dissatisfaction, NYT reports.
The NYT also highlighted concerns from parents and educators that screen-time limits alone cannot distinguish between beneficial and harmful use. School psychologist Jennifer Riggle called the two-hour cap a “blunt measure,” noting that “Two hours spent FaceTiming your grandmother or making a movie with a friend are extremely different from two hours of passive scrolling,”, according to NYT
She advises to focus more more on teaching children to use technology deliberately rather than simply keep them away from it.
