To ensure safe and age-appropriate experiences for teenage users, Instagram and Facebook have introduced new features and settings aimed at protecting teens from unwanted contact and empowering parents to shape their teens’ online experiences.
One significant update involves stricter private messaging settings for teens. Adults over 19 are restricted from messaging teens who don’t follow them. Furthermore, the type and number of direct messages (DMs) that individuals can send to teens who don’t follow them are limited to one text-only message.
To enhance these safeguards, Instagram has implemented a default setting where teens under 16 will only receive DMs from accounts they follow or are connected to. This measure aims to prevent teens from receiving messages from unknown or unauthorized users, bolstering their safety and peace of mind.
Changes to teens’ default settings on Messenger have been made, ensuring that users under 16 (or under 18 in certain regions) only receive messages from Facebook friends or individuals they’re connected to through phone contacts.
To address concerns regarding inappropriate content, Instagram and Facebook are set to introduce a feature to prevent teens from seeing and sending potentially inappropriate images in their messages. This feature, slated to launch later this year, will also operate within encrypted chats, ensuring privacy and security.
In line with these updates, parental supervision features have been enhanced to give parents more control over their teens’ online experiences. Parents will now be prompted to approve or deny requests from their teens (under 16) to change default safety and privacy settings. This ensures that parents remain actively involved in decisions regarding their teens’ online safety, fostering open communication and collaboration between parents and teens.
Larry Magid, CEO of ConnectSafely, praised these initiatives, emphasizing that “Empowering parents to approve or deny requests to change their teen’s default safety and privacy settings gives parents the tools they need to help protect their teens, while at the same time respecting their teens’ privacy and ability to communicate with their friends and family.”
These developments underscore Instagram and Facebook’s commitment to creating a safe and supportive online environment for teens and families. Users can access various tools and resources in the Family Center to further support teen safety and well-being.
