Meta rolls out new safety measures for teen and child-focused accounts

Meta has introduced new updates aimed at improving the safety of teenagers on its platforms and extending protections to accounts managed by adults that primarily feature children.

Meta has added new features to direct messages (DMs) for teen users. These updates include:

• Displaying the month and year an account joined Instagram at the top of new chats.
• Offering safety tips and options to block accounts more prominently.
• Combined 'block and report' option for easier reporting of potentially harmful accounts.

According to Meta, these changes are designed to help teens recognize and act against unwanted or unsafe contact.

Meta also stated that its 'Location Notice feature' which alerts users if they are chatting with someone in a different country was shown to teens and young adults 1 million times in June. This feature is intended to help protect against scams involving false identity claims.

The company added that its nudity protection feature, which automatically blurs suspected nude images in DMs, remains active for 99% of users globally. The feature is on by default for teen accounts.

Meta is also expected to extend some teen safety features to adult-run accounts that primarily post content of children. These may include accounts managed by parents, guardians, or talent agents representing minors.

New measures include:

• Automatically activating the most restrictive message settings.
• Turning on the Hidden Words feature to filter offensive comments.
• Notifications to review and update privacy settings.

Meta said these changes are aimed at limiting the visibility and reach of such accounts to adults flagged as potentially suspicious. The company also reiterated its policy that only adults may operate accounts representing children under 13, and that these must state clearly in the bio that they are adult-managed. If Meta finds the child is managing the account directly, it will be removed.