Social media is a regular part of many teenagers’ lives, and new safeguards on Facebook and Instagram are giving parents another reason to think about how their teens use screens. The changes are part of a multi-billion dollar settlement involving Meta, the company that owns both platforms.
While these safeguards can be helpful, they are only one piece of the picture. When it comes to teen screen time, how much time they spend on screens, what they are doing online (and whom they are interacting with) and whether social media is interfering with sleep, school, physical activity or relationships all matter.
This article looks at what the new safeguards mean, how screen time can affect your teen’s health and practical ways parents can help create healthier screen habits.
What Are the New Safeguards?
Under the settlement, Meta agreed to limit how teens use Facebook and Instagram. The changes include but are not limited to:
- A two-hour daily limit on each app for users under 18.
- A nighttime block that stops access from midnight to 6 am.
- Fewer distractions during school by turning off most push notifications from 8 am to 3 pm. (This adds another layer of limits during the school day for K-12 students in New York state, who are already covered by the state’s recently implemented bell-to-bell restrictions on internet-enabled devices in schools.)
- Less reliance on personalized recommendations by allowing teens to see posts from accounts they follow instead of having the app recommend content based on their activity.
- More parental controls to help parents manage their teen’s use of Facebook and Instagram and limit exposure to inappropriate or unwanted content.
Parents can override some of these limits for their teens.
One important note: These safeguards apply only to Facebook and Instagram. They do not cover TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube or X. Those platforms have their own policies and parental controls, so protections will vary.
How Can Too Much Screen Time Affect Teens?
Teens use screens for many parts of daily life, including school, communication and entertainment. When thinking about teen screen time, the concern isn’t screens themselves. It’s when screen use starts to crowd out healthy routines.
A few areas deserve particular attention:
- Sleep. Using a phone close to bedtime can make it harder to wind down. Notifications and the desire to stay connected can also keep teens engaged late into the night. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends avoiding screens for about one hour before bedtime and keeping phones and other devices out of the bedroom at night. Not getting enough sleep can affect mood, focus and energy the next day.
- Emotional well-being. For many teens, excessive social media use can contribute to stress, negative comparisons or difficulty disconnecting. Seeing carefully curated images and posts can also affect how some teens feel about themselves.
- Physical activity. Long periods of scrolling or other sedentary screen use can replace time for exercise, sports and other activities that support physical and emotional health.
- Attention. Frequent or prolonged screen use, particularly when it involves constantly switching between apps or responding to notifications, may make it harder for some teens to sustain attention on tasks that require longer periods of focus.
Is It Only About How Many Hours?
Not necessarily. When looking at teen screen time, instead of focusing only on the number of hours, pay attention to how your teen responds to limits and whether they can step away from their devices.
Ask yourself:
- Do they seem restless or frustrated when they can’t get online?
- Do they frequently try to get back on their devices after being asked to stop?
- Are they dishonest or evasive about how much time they spend online?
- Is screen use causing conflict at home?
- Does your teen seem unable to cut back, even when they want to?
These patterns may be more concerning than a specific number of hours on a screen.
What Can Parents Do to Build Healthy Teen Screen Time Habits?
You don’t have to rely only on app settings to manage screen time. Simple family routines can help teens develop healthier habits across every device.
Consider these tips:
- Protect bedtime. Have teens charge their phones outside the bedroom overnight.
- Create screen-free times. Keep meals and family time device-free. Set clear expectations around homework and other responsibilities.
- Turn off unnecessary notifications. Fewer alerts can reduce the urge to repeatedly check the phone.
- Use parental controls. These can be helpful tools, especially for younger teens.
- Set expectations together. Teens may be more willing to follow boundaries when they understand why they matter and have some input.
- Model healthy habits. Put your own phone away during meals and conversations.
The goal is to help teens use technology in a way that supports, rather than interferes with, their health, responsibilities and relationships. Encourage activities they enjoy away from screens, too, so that time offline feels like something to look forward to — not simply time without a phone.
How Should Parents Talk With Teens About Social Media?
The conversation doesn’t have to start with rules. Start with curiosity.
Ask your teen which apps they use and what they enjoy about them. Find out how they use social media to stay connected, whether they mostly watch and scroll or actively post and interact, what they see in their feeds and whether they ever feel pressure to keep up with what others are posting.
You can also ask about experiences that may be harder to talk about, such as:
- Seeing content that makes them uncomfortable or upset
- Feeling left out or comparing themselves with others
- Dealing with teasing, bullying or unwanted messages
- Feeling pressure to post, respond or stay online
- Having trouble stepping away from an app or losing track of time
Give teens a chance to share their perspective rather than turning the discussion into a lecture, and check in regularly about how social media use is going. The AAP recommends having these conversations early and often.
Keeping the conversation open can make it easier for your teen to tell you when something online worries them or when they need help handling a difficult situation.
When Should Parents Be Concerned?
Take a closer look if social media use seems to be affecting your teen’s mood, behavior or day-to-day functioning.
Warning signs can include:
- Staying up late repeatedly to use a device
- Having significant difficulty stopping or logging off
- Becoming very upset when access is limited
- Pulling away from offline activities
- Noticeable changes in mood
- Showing less interest in previously enjoyed offline activities
If screen or social media use continues to affect your teen’s daily life or well-being, talk with their pediatrician or a mental health professional. They can offer guidance based on your child’s needs.
New safeguards can add a helpful layer of protection, but they aren’t a substitute for healthy boundaries at home. Helping teens understand when, why and how they use screens can be just as important as limiting the number of hours they spend on them.
