Meta Platforms announced on Tuesday that Instagram users under the age of 16 will no longer be able to live stream or unblur nudity in direct messages without their parents’ approval. The move is part of the company’s expanded efforts to enhance safety measures for teenagers on the platform.
Meta is now expanding its teen safety measures beyond Instagram to include Facebook and Messenger. The company said it will extend safeguards for users under 18 across its platforms.
Earlier, in September, Meta had launched a teen account program on Instagram, allowing parents to better monitor and supervise their children’s online activity. The move comes as social media platforms face increasing criticism over their impact on young users.
Meta’s new teen safety measures will first launch in the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia, and gradually expand to users worldwide in the coming months.
As part of the update, users under 16 will be restricted from using Instagram Live unless they have parental approval. They will also need permission to disable the feature that automatically blurs images with suspected nudity in direct messages, the company said in a blog post.
In addition, Meta announced that these safety features will now be extended to its Facebook and Messenger platforms, aiming to offer a safer online experience for teenagers across its apps.
Meta said it will bring existing Instagram safety features to Facebook and Messenger to better protect teen users. These include default private accounts for teens, blocking messages from strangers, limiting access to sensitive content like fight videos, and sending reminders to log off after 60 minutes. Notifications will also be paused during bedtime hours.
“Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens’ time is well spent,” Meta said.
The company added that since launching the teen safety program in September, at least 54 million teen accounts have been created.
