In an effort to enhance online safety for teenagers, social media giant Meta has unveiled new features on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, aimed at restricting unsolicited messages to teens. Effective immediately, these updates are part of Meta’s ongoing initiative to create a safer online environment for younger users.
Under these new measures, teens on Instagram will no longer receive direct messages (DMs) from anyone they don’t already follow or are not connected to, including peers. This policy is an extension of Meta’s previous restrictions, which limited the messaging capabilities of adults over 19 to teens who were not following them. The objective is to shield teens from potential unwanted contact and to ensure their interactions on the platform are confined to their known circles.
To further empower parents in monitoring and managing their teen’s online presence, Meta has also enhanced its parental control features. Guardians now have the authority to approve or reject any changes their teens make to default privacy settings. Previously, parents were only notified of such changes, but the updated feature grants them a more active role in their teen’s social media use.
Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, has been progressively strengthening its focus on teen safety. The parental supervision features on Instagram, first introduced in March 2022, have been continuously expanded to include tools for setting time limits, tracking interactions, and receiving notifications about changes in privacy settings. The latest changes are set to impact teens under the age of 16, or 18 in certain countries, by modifying their default settings on Messenger to limit message reception to known Facebook friends and contacts.
According to a report by The Guardian, these updates are a response to the growing concerns about the vulnerability of young users on social media. By implementing such features, Meta is acknowledging the need for additional protective measures for teenagers navigating the digital world. The move aims not only to safeguard teens from unwanted online interactions but also to involve parents more closely in their digital experiences, ensuring a collaborative approach to online safety.
Through these initiatives, Meta is demonstrating its commitment to creating a secure and responsible online environment for teenagers. The company’s efforts to balance user freedom with safety and privacy underscore the complex challenges of moderating content and interactions on vast social media platforms.
