Psychologists and child advocates welcomed a landmark settlement over claims that Meta harmed young users with addictive platforms. However, many expressed skepticism that the company's planned changes would meaningfully impact adolescent mental health. For users under 18, Meta announced default two-hour daily time limits, restrictions on nighttime and school hour use, and bans on cosmetic surgery and extreme makeup filters.

Jacqueline Nesi, associate professor of psychiatry at Brown University, noted the complex relationship between social media use and mental health, stating the idea that social media is the primary driver of teen mental health problems is "just not supported with the research." Sonia Livingstone, professor of social psychology at the London School of Economics, called the measures a "powerful message" that platforms like Instagram are risky. Candice Odgers, professor of psychology at University of California, Irvine, said the settlement would force Meta to design safer platforms, though she warned young people might migrate to other platforms unless the whole industry participates. Catherine Steiner-Adair, clinical psychologist and author, argued six hours of sleep is insufficient and that silencing notifications during school hours does not go far enough, as teens need relief after school to focus on homework.

Sophia Choukas-Bradley, associate professor of psychology at University of Pittsburgh, also commented on the planned feature changes.