Meta Renews Battle with FTC Over Teen Data: Latest Updates 2026

Meta Platforms is making a strong push to prevent the Federal Trade Commission from imposing restrictions on how the company can use teens’ data. In legal documents filed recently with U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington, D.C., the company argues that the FTC doesn’t have the power to change a settlement reached in 2020 following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The settlement required Meta to pay a hefty $5 billion and make changes to its privacy practices.

However, now, three years later, the FTC wants to stop Meta from using data from minors for targeted advertising or other purposes. The agency also wants to limit Meta from rolling out new products or services unless a watchdog verifies that the company has strong privacy practices in place. This proposal came about after the FTC discovered issues with Meta’s privacy program, like coding errors in its Messenger Kids app that allowed kids to chat with unauthorized individuals.

Meta is pushing back against these proposed changes. The company believes that only a federal court, not the FTC, can modify the settlement from 2020. This stance was initially rejected by Judge Kelly back in 2023, but Meta appealed the decision. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Meta, stating that Judge Kelly indeed retains jurisdiction over the settlement agreement.

In their latest filings, Meta is seeking an injunction to uphold the 2020 order. They argue that not doing so would be damaging to their company, as it would mean being dragged into a legal battle that was supposedly already resolved. They are determined to prevent the FTC from moving forward with these proposed modifications.

The legal battle between Meta Platforms and the FTC continues to unfold, with both sides presenting their arguments to the courts. Stay tuned for updates as this case progresses.