Meta has announced new safety measures to enhance the protection of teen users on its platforms, Instagram and Facebook. These measures include implementing default Direct Message (DM) restrictions and introducing new parental control tools through its Family Center.
Aiming to create a safer and age-appropriate online environment for teens, Meta has developed over 30 tools and features, along with policies and technologies, to regulate content and behavior that violates its rules. The new default settings on Instagram will prevent adults over the age of 19 from messaging teens who do not follow them.
Additionally, the type and quantity of direct messages that can be sent to someone not following the sender are now limited to one text-only message.
A significant update is the default setting that disables the ability for teens to receive DMs from anyone they do not follow or are not connected to on Instagram, including other teens. This setting ensures that teens can only be messaged or added to group chats by people they already follow or are connected to. For teens with supervised accounts, parental permission is required to change this setting.
This default setting will be applied to all teens under the age of 16 (or under 18 in certain countries). Teens currently using Instagram will be notified about these changes to their message settings through a notification at the top of their Feed.
Similar changes are also being made to Messenger. For users under 16 (or under 18 in certain countries), they will only be able to receive messages from Facebook friends or people they are connected to through shared phone contacts.
Meta’s latest safety measures for teen users on Instagram and Facebook represent a significant effort to enhance online safety for younger audiences. By restricting unwanted contact and providing robust parental control options, Meta is addressing key concerns regarding the safety and privacy of teen users on social media. These measures are crucial steps in fostering a safer, more controlled online environment for adolescents.
