Sandy families with teenagers on Instagram or Facebook could soon see daily time limits and silenced school-hour notifications on those apps. The changes are part of Meta's $12.2 billion settlement with 47 states over teen social media addiction.

Utah will receive $212 million over 10 years from the deal, KUER reported Aug. 26. That share could climb to $301 million if Snap, TikTok and YouTube agree to similar terms. The agreement still awaits court approval.

The settlement requires Meta to impose a two-hour combined daily cap on Instagram and Facebook for teen users. After two hours, most features would shut off until the next day. The apps would also interrupt scrolling with "Productive Pause" reminders after 15, 60 and 90 minutes.

During the school year, push notifications would go dark on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to Cache Valley Daily. Parents could further restrict teens to messaging-only during those hours.

Overnight, feed-scrolling would be blocked from midnight to 6 a.m. in an initial phase, tightening to 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. later.

"For the first time, Meta must put kids' safety ahead of its business model," Utah Attorney General Derek Brown said.

Gov. Spencer Cox called the settlement historic, saying Meta "could have chosen to implement these changes and protect children all along."

The deal also bans cosmetic-procedure filters for teens, hides like counts by default and gives young users an easy opt-in to a non-personalized feed. An independent auditor will review Meta's compliance and require corrections where the company falls short.

Why it matters locally

The notification blackout aligns with rules Canyons School District already enforces. Alta High School and Hillcrest High School both prohibit personal technology during class time. Utah's 2025 cellphone law, Senate Bill 178, bans phone use during class time statewide, though students can still use devices during passing periods and lunch.

A survey of about 400 Alta High students, conducted in connection with the school's July 2026 PTSA "Create with Kindness" event, found students reported spending two to four hours daily on social media. Statewide, data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services shows 80% of students ages 12 to 18 spend at least two hours a day on social media, gaming or texting.

Liddy Johnson, a recent high school graduate from the Salt Lake City area, testified before the Utah Legislature about social media's harms after becoming addicted to algorithms at age 13. She spent four months without her phone and went through therapy.

In a Fox 13 interview published Aug. 26, Johnson said she cried when she heard about the settlement. "So many kids have gone through what I've gone through, and so many lives have been lost," she told Fox 13. "We need to protect our kids."

Her mother, Corinne Johnson, executive director of the Child First Policy Center, said the guilt of handing her daughter a device "that nearly took her life" turned to anger at the industry.

Utah's case against Meta dates to Oct. 24, 2023, when the Department of Commerce's Division of Consumer Protection filed its complaint. The settlement also resolves claims that Meta shared Facebook users' data with third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, before the 2016 election.

No court date for final approval has been announced.