Owner Meta Platforms said Tuesday that Instagram users under the age of 16 will not be able to live in direct messages received without their parents’ approval or Unblur is exposed.
The social media company also said it will expand to Facebook and Messenger for users under the age of 18.
Meta launched its Youth Account Program on Instagram in September to give parents more options to monitor their children’s online activities, a growing backlash against how social media affects young people’s lives.
The latest changes will be rolled out first to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and then to users around the world over the next few months.
Under these changes, teenagers under the age of 16 are blocked from using Instagram Live unless their parents allow it. Meta said in a blog post that they also need permission to “turn off the feature of images containing suspicious nudes in our direct messages.”
In another major update, Meta said it expanded its teen account protections to its Facebook and Messenger platforms,
These will include protections already provided for teen Instagram users, including setting teen accounts to private by default, blocking private messages from strangers, strictly limiting sensitive content (such as battle videos), reminding you to leave the app after 60 minutes, and notifications to stop at bedtime.
“Teen accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar automated protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted connections, as well as ways to ensure a good time for a teenager,” Meta said.
The company said at least 54 million teen accounts have been established since the program was launched in September.
