Responding to concerns about its services being used by "predators," Meta Platforms Inc. FB has unveiled stricter messaging settings for teenagers on its social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook.
What Happened: As per a post on Meta’s official blog on Thursday, the tech giant is rolling out new measures to shield teens from unwanted contact.
Adults aged 19 and above are now barred from messaging teens who don’t follow them on Instagram. Additionally, the type and quantity of direct messages (DMs) that can be sent to non-followers have been restricted to a single text-only message.
Meta is also disabling the feature that allows teens to receive DMs from individuals they don’t follow or aren’t linked with on Instagram.
This rule applies to all users under 16, or 18 in certain countries, including other teenagers. Teens with supervised accounts will require parental consent to modify this setting.
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The same changes are being implemented on Messenger, where only Facebook friends or individuals connected via phone contacts can message users under 16.
Later this year, Meta plans to roll out a new feature to prevent teens from viewing unsolicited and potentially inappropriate images in their messages from their existing connections.
Larry Magid, CEO of ConnectSafely, commended the new measures, saying they equip parents with the necessary tools to safeguard their teens while preserving their privacy and communication capabilities.
Why It Matters: This move comes in the wake of allegations against Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for prioritizing growth over children’s safety.
As reported in an unsealed lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Department of Justice, Meta was accused of being aware of a significant amount of inappropriate and sexually explicit content on its platforms but not taking adequate measures to protect young users.
The stricter messaging rules for teens are a step towards addressing these concerns.
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