Meta Rolls Out Teen Safety Features On Facebook And Messenger; Blocks Instagram Live for Users Under Age…

Instagram Teen Accounts Feature: Meta is rolling out “Teen Accounts” safety features to Facebook and Messenger. The move is part of Meta’s broader effort to ensure safer online experiences for young users. Notably, this feature was originally launched on Instagram.

Since the introduction of these features on Instagram, Meta reports that 97 percent of users aged 13–15 have kept the settings enabled, indicating strong acceptance among teens. 

Meta Adds New Feature For Teens Under 16

Following the development, the Meta blocks ‘Instagram Live’ feature for teens under 16. Now, Instagram users under age of 16  will also not be able to unblur images containing suspected nudity in their direct messages without parental approval. 

Instagram Teen Accounts Feature: Expansion  

The expansion of new feature to Facebook and Messenger began on April 8 in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with global rollout planned soon. These features aim to restrict who can contact teens and regulate the type of content they can access.

Instagram Teen Accounts Feature Introduced  

Meta first introduced the Teen Accounts program in September last year, providing parents with more tools to monitor and manage their children’s online activity. Since then, over 54 million teen accounts have been created across Meta’s platforms.

Adding further, the short-form online video platform TikTok has introduced similar parental control features in the European Union, allowing parents to limit screen time for their teens. 

Social media giants like Meta, TikTok (ByteDance), and YouTube (Google) continue to face legal scrutiny, with numerous lawsuits filed over concerns about the addictive nature of these platforms for children and teens.