Meta Implements Stricter Message Settings for Teens on Instagram, Facebook

With over a decade of policy development, Meta is once again prioritizing online safety by introducing stricter message settings for teens on Instagram and Facebook.

Earlier this month, Meta unveiled measures to limit teens’ exposure to potentially sensitive content on Instagram and Facebook. Additionally, nudges were introduced to encourage teens to close Instagram at night.

Today, further steps have been announced to protect teens from unwanted contact and simplify parental control over their online experiences.

To prevent unwanted contact on Instagram, Meta now restricts adults over 19 from messaging teens who don’t follow them. Furthermore, limits have been set on the type and number of direct messages (DMs) individuals can send to someone not in their followers’ list.

Meta is also turning off teens’ ability to receive DMs from anyone they don’t follow on Instagram by default. This setting applies to teens under 16 (or 18 in specific countries). Teens in supervised accounts will require parental permission to modify this default setting.

Similar changes are being implemented on Messenger, where teems will only receive messages from Facebook friends or people connected through phone contacts.

Meta is planning to launch another feature that protects teens from unwanted and inappropriate images in their messages. This feature, applicable even in encrypted chats, aims to discourage the sending of such images.

Parents will now also be prompted to approve or deny their teens’ requests to change default safety and privacy settings, fostering offline conversations about online safety within families.

These settings include transitioning from private to public accounts, adjusting Sensitive Content Control, and modifying DM settings to hear from non-followers.