Meta expands restrictions for teen users to Facebook and Messenger

Meta, the company behind Facebook and Messenger, is expanding its Teen Accounts feature, which is designed to create a safer online experience for users under the age of 18. This initiative aims to place younger teens into more restricted settings by default, meaning that they will have to get permission from their parents to perform certain actions, such as live streaming or disabling image protections for their messages. The Teen Accounts feature was first introduced on Instagram, and Meta claims that it has significantly altered the way teens interact with the platform. However, some advocates for online safety are questioning the effectiveness of these Teen Accounts. Andy Burrows, the chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, expressed concern that after eight months of Teen Accounts being available on Instagram, there has been no communication from Mark Zuckerberg regarding their effectiveness or the specific types of sensitive content they are meant to address. He criticized the lack of transparency, stating that it is 'appalling' that parents remain unaware of whether the settings are preventing their children from being exposed to harmful or inappropriate content. Matthew Sowemimo, who works on child safety policy at the NSPCC, emphasized that while Meta's changes are a step in the right direction, they must be accompanied by proactive measures to prevent dangerous content from spreading on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger in the first place. Drew Benvie, the chief executive of the social media consultancy Battenhall, acknowledged that this move is a positive development, as it indicates that major social media companies are prioritizing safety over simply attracting the most engaged teen user base. However, he also cautioned that there is always a risk that teens may find ways to bypass safety settings. The rollout of Teen Accounts is set to begin in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. Companies that provide services popular with children are facing increasing pressure to implement parental controls and safety mechanisms to protect young users. In the UK, there are also legal requirements under the Online Safety Act that mandate companies to prevent children from encountering harmful and illegal content on their platforms. For instance, Roblox has recently introduced new parental controls as part of its safety measures. The way Teen Accounts function depends on the age that users declare when they sign up. Users aged 16 to 18 can choose to turn off default safety settings, such as making their accounts private. However, those aged 13 to 15 must obtain parental permission to disable these settings, which can only be done by adding a parent or guardian to their account. Since the introduction of Teen Accounts in September, Meta claims to have transitioned at least 54 million teens globally into these accounts, with 97% of 13 to 15-year-olds opting to keep the built-in restrictions. The system relies on users being honest about their age when creating accounts, and Meta employs methods like video selfies to verify this information. In 2024, the company plans to implement artificial intelligence to identify teens who may be misrepresenting their age and to reassign them to Teen Accounts. A report from the UK media regulator Ofcom published in November 2024 indicated that 22% of children aged eight to 17 admit to lying about their age on social media apps. Meta will notify users under 18 on Facebook and Messenger that their accounts will be converted to Teen Accounts through in-app notifications. For example, one notification on Facebook informs users, 'On Apr 15, your account will become a Teen Account. This may change who can interact with you. Tap for details. ' Another notification on Messenger states, 'Soon your settings will be updated automatically to protect you from unwanted contact. ' In the upcoming months, younger teens will also require parental consent to go live on Instagram or to disable nudity protection, which blurs explicit images in direct messages. Concerns have been raised about children and teenagers receiving unwanted sexual images or feeling pressured to share them, leading to calls for Meta to take more decisive action. Professor Sonia Livingstone, director of the Digital Futures for Children centre, remarked that the expansion of Teen Accounts could be a welcome change, reflecting a growing demand from parents and children for age-appropriate social media experiences. However, she also highlighted that questions remain regarding the overall protections Meta offers to young users against online harms, as well as its data-driven and highly commercialized practices. She insisted that Meta must be held accountable for its impact on young people, regardless of whether they are using a Teen Account. Mr. Sowemimo from the NSPCC stressed the importance of ensuring that the responsibility for keeping children safe online does not solely fall on parents and children. He believes that technology companies must be held accountable for safeguarding children on their platforms, and that Ofcom should enforce compliance with these responsibilities.