Meta Brings Stricter Message Settings for Teens on Instagram 6y7348 Facebook Messenger

Teen s on Instagram will no longer get DMs from anyone they do not follow or are not connected to on the platform by default. 46r3b

Written by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 25 January 2024 18:25 IST

Meta Brings Stricter Message Settings for Teens on Instagram, Facebook Messenger

Photo Credit: Meta 1a3g49

Meta's move comes in the light of increased scrutiny from governing bodies

Highlights

Meta moves to protect teens from unwanted messages on Instagram, Facebook
Teens in supervised s will need parental nod to change settings
Meta will add new safety measures on the platforms soon

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Instagram for s aged under 18 years to prevent messages from people they do not follow. The move comes in the light of increased scrutiny from governing bodies.

Through a Messenger from anyone they do not follow or aren't connected to, by default. On Messenger, s aged under 16 years and below 18 years in some countries will only receive messages from their Facebook friends or people they are connected through phone s.

Photo Credit: Meta

With the latest default setting, teens can only be messaged or added to group chats by people they already follow or are connected to. Teens in supervised s will have to get their parents' permission to change this setting. Meta said the change is part of its efforts to provide “age-appropriate experiences for teens” across its apps.

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The new limits will apply to all s aged under 16 years or 18 years in select countries. Meta confirmed that it will notify existing s about the change.

The Mark Zuckerberg-led company already restrict adults over the age of 19 years from messaging teens who don't follow them. Meta earlier limited the type and number of DMs people can send to someone who doesn't follow them to one text-only message.

Further, Meta is now offering parents using its existing supervision tools the ability to approve or deny their teenagers' requests to change their default privacy and safety settings. "For example, if a teen using supervision tries to change their from private to public, change their Sensitive Content Control from “Less” to “Standard”, or – now – tries to change their DM settings to hear from people they're not already following or connected to, their parent will receive a notification prompting them to approve or deny the request", Meta said.

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Furthermore, Meta added that it would add more features designed to protect teens from seeing unwanted and potentially inappropriate images in their messages from people they're already connected to. The company assured to reveal more about this functionality later this year.

The new teen safety measures come as Meta is facing pressure from regulators around the globe to limit potentially harmful content on its platforms.

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Further reading: Meta Platforms

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More