Meta Strengthens Safety Measures for Teen Accounts on Instagram, Plans Expansion to Facebook and Messenger
Click to start listening
Synopsis
Meta has introduced advanced safety measures for teenage users on Instagram, with plans to extend these features to Facebook and Messenger. The company aims to create a secure environment for young users and provide parents with more oversight.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced safety features for Instagram Teen Accounts.
- Teenagers under 16 need parental consent for certain actions.
- Plans to extend protections to Facebook and Messenger.
- Over 54 million teens use Instagram Teen Accounts globally.
- Default private settings and content filters are in place.
New Delhi, April 11 (NationPress) On Friday, the leading social media platform Meta unveiled the next stage of its initiatives aimed at enhancing teenage safety in India, featuring improved built-in protections on Instagram.
Additionally, the company has implemented further safeguards, stating that teenagers under the age of 16 will be prohibited from going live or turning off filters that block unwanted images in direct messages without parental consent.
Meta also revealed its intention to extend Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger later this year.
These accounts will incorporate similar protective measures, such as shielding against unwanted communication, limiting exposure to sensitive content, and providing tools for managing in-app usage time.
Moreover, parents will be granted the ability to oversee their teenagers’ interactions across Meta’s applications, the company added.
The Instagram Teen Accounts are crafted to furnish a safer and more age-appropriate environment for young users, while simultaneously offering parents greater oversight and reassurance.
Since the initial launch in September 2024, over 54 million teenagers globally have engaged with Instagram Teen Accounts.
“Children deserve secure, age-appropriate online experiences, and these modifications form part of our ongoing commitment to developing platforms that prioritize their welfare. When we introduced Teen Accounts on Instagram last year, our goal was to create technology that balances self-expression with integrated protections,” stated Tara Hopkins, Global Director of Public Policy at Instagram.
“In India, which boasts one of the largest youth populations globally and a vibrant creator community, we remain attentive to the needs of both teenagers and their parents. We are pleased to note that 97 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 15 have adhered to these protective measures on a global scale,” she further commented.
Instagram Teen Accounts include built-in safety features that regulate who can engage with teenagers and the type of content they are permitted to view.
These settings are activated by default, requiring parental approval for teenagers under 16 to loosen them.
Key attributes of these protections comprise default private account settings, limits on who can message, tag, or mention teenagers, and content filters that minimize exposure to potentially damaging or sensitive material.
