Meta launches Teen Accounts on Facebook, Messenger, prioritising safety

Meta is rolling out its new Teen Accounts feature on Facebook and Messenger, designed to provide a safer social media experience for young users.

Initially available in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, the feature will expand to additional regions in the future, Caliber.Az reports via foreign website covering technology, startups, venture capital funding. 

Teen Accounts were first introduced on Instagram in September 2021 after pressure from US lawmakers who criticized social media platforms for failing to adequately protect teens. 

The new feature will automatically place teens into a more controlled app environment, limiting exposure to inappropriate content and unwanted interactions. Teens under the age of 16 will require parental consent to change settings. According to Meta, teens will only receive messages from people they follow or have messaged previously.

Additionally, only friends will be able to see and reply to their stories, while comments, tags, and mentions will be restricted to their followers or friends. Teens will also receive reminders to log off after one hour of app usage and will be automatically enrolled in "Quiet Mode" during the night. On Instagram, users under 16 will not be able to go live unless they obtain parental consent. Parental approval will also be necessary to disable the feature that blurs suspected nude images in direct messages. 

These measures are part of Meta's ongoing efforts to address concerns regarding teen mental health and social media use. Various state governments and the US Surgeon General have raised alarms about the impact of social media on teens' well-being, with some pushing for restrictions on social media access without parental approval. 

Meta has reported that 54 million teens have adopted Teen Accounts on Instagram, with 97 per cent of teens aged 13-15 keeping their built-in protections active. A recent Ipsos study revealed that 94 per cent of parents find Teen Accounts helpful, while 85 per cent believe the feature makes it easier to help their teens have a positive social media experience.

By Naila Huseynova