Meta Expands Teen Safety Controls Across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has announced an expansion of its parental control system called Teen Accounts. Initially introduced on Instagram in September, the system is now being extended to Facebook and Messenger. This move is part of a broader effort to increase safety for teenage users online. Under the new rules, users under 16 will need parental permission to use specific features such as livestreaming and disabling the automatic blurring of images potentially containing nudity in messages. These changes are being rolled out first in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.

Additional safety features already in place for teen Instagram users include default private accounts, restricted messaging from strangers, content sensitivity limits, prompts to take breaks, and reduced notifications during sleeping hours. The update comes amid rising concern over the impact of social media on young users and increasing governmental regulation. In the UK, the Online Safety Act mandates that tech platforms must actively prevent harmful or illegal content from reaching children. Meanwhile, Meta continues to face criticism over its implementation of end-to-end encryption in messaging services, which child protection advocates argue could hinder efforts to combat abuse, although Meta maintains that encryption is vital for user privacy.