Meta has just added Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger, bringing a number of important safety restrictions. Teen Accounts already exist on Instagram, but today, Meta has announced that it’s expanding the feature toward its other social media platforms. Meanwhile, teens on Instagram are also receiving improved security measures as part of today’s update.
TechCrunch reports that Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will begin rolling out in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. With these new restrictions, teens under the age of 16 will automatically have their accounts migrated to the new teen account experience. This hands off some important controls to their parents, which could help them stay safe online.
The idea is to limit unwanted and inappropriate contact. TechCrunch reveals that teens will only be able to receive messages from people they’ve messaged before or those whom they follow. Only friends will be able to see their stories. Tagging, mentioning, and commenting will also be limited to friends and people they follow. It’s unclear what other restrictions fall under the “teen account” umbrella.
Teens on Facebook and Messenger will also be reminded to get off social media after they’ve used the apps for an hour a day. At night, “Quiet mode” will automatically be enabled.
As mentioned, Instagram’s Teen Accounts are also receiving some updates. Teens under 16 will no longer be allowed to go live on Instagram without parental permission. They also won’t be able to turn off one key feature in the messaging part of Instagram: Image blurring. The app automatically blurs images that are suspected to contain nudity when sent through DMs, and now, teens won’t be able to turn the feature off themselves — parents will need to agree.
Meta has also shared that Teen Accounts are doing well on Instagram, with 97% of teens aged 13 to 15 choosing to keep the safety restrictions. A total of 54 million teens have been moved to Teen Accounts since the feature started rolling out in September 2024.
