Meta introduces safety measures for teens on Instagram and Facebook 

Tech giant Meta is taking significant steps to enhance the safety of teenagers on its platform, particularly Instagram. Meta has developed over 30 tools and features to support teens and their parents, emphasizing the need for age-appropriate online experiences.

One notable change is the requirement for teens to obtain parental approval through Instagram’s parental supervision tools before altering certain settings. In a statement, Meta announced a new default setting to safeguard teens from unwanted contact, preventing them from receiving Direct Messages (DMs) from individuals they don’t follow or aren’t connected to on Instagram.

Under this default setting, teens under the age of 16 (or 18 in specific countries) will only receive messages from Facebook friends or those connected through phone contacts. Even in supervised accounts, teens will need parental permission to modify this setting.

Meta is also working on a feature to protect teens from encountering inappropriate images from their existing connections and to discourage the sending of such content. This feature is expected to be revealed later this year.

Parental supervision on Instagram, initiated in March 2022, has been further reinforced. Parents will now be prompted to approve or deny their teens’ requests to alter default safety and privacy settings, ensuring a more proactive approach in overseeing their online experiences.

For instance, if a supervised teen attempts to switch their account from private to public, adjust Sensitive Content Control, or modify DM settings to receive messages from non-followers, parents will receive notifications prompting them to approve or deny these requests. These measures reflect Meta’s commitment to fostering a secure digital environment for teenagers and facilitating parental involvement in shaping their online interactions.