Meta Protect Teens From Unwanted Messages On Facebook

Meta Moves To Protect Teens From Unwanted Messages On Instagram, Facebook

Meta Platforms (META.O), also known as Facebook Meta, is implementing additional measures to safeguard teenage users from unsolicited direct messages on Instagram and Facebook, according to the social media platform’s announcement on Thursday. This decision comes in the wake of Meta’s commitment to conceal more content from teens, prompted by regulatory pressure to protect children from harmful material on its widely used social media networks. The increased regulatory scrutiny follows a former Meta employee’s testimony in the U.S. Senate, alleging that the company was aware of harassment and other dangers faced by teens on its platforms but failed to take appropriate action.

As part of the new measures, Meta stated that teens on Instagram will no longer receive direct messages from individuals they do not follow or have a connection with by default. Additionally, certain settings on the app will require parental approval for modification. On Messenger, users under 16 and those under 18 in certain countries will only receive messages from Facebook friends or individuals connected through phone contacts. Meta also specified that adults aged 19 and above will not be able to message teens who do not follow them.

This update was reported by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru, and the editing was done by Devika Syamnath.