Meta enhances protection for teen accounts on Instagram, to extend feature to Facebook and Messenger soon

The company also introduced additional protections whereby teenagers under 16 will no longer be able to go live or disable filters that block unwanted images in direct messages without a parent's approval.

New Delhi: Social media giant Meta on Friday announced the next phase of its teenage safety initiatives in India, with enhanced built-in protections on Instagram.

The company also introduced additional protections whereby teenagers under 16 will no longer be able to go live or disable filters that block unwanted images in direct messages without a parent’s approval.

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It also announced plans “to extend Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger later this year”. “These accounts will feature similar safeguards, including protection from unwanted contact, reduced exposure to sensitive content and tools for managing time spent in-app,” the company said.

Further, parents will be able to supervise how their teenagers interact across Meta apps, it added.
Instagram Teen Accounts are designed to offer a safer, and more age-appropriate experience for young users, while giving parents more oversight and peace of mind.

Over 54 million teenagers now use Instagram Teen Accounts worldwide since the initial rollout began in September 2024.

“Young people deserve safe, age-appropriate online experiences, and these updates are part of our long-term commitment to building platforms that prioritise their well-being. When we launched Teen Accounts on Instagram last year, our aim was to create technology that balances self-expression with built-in protections,” said Tara Hopkins, Global Director of Public Policy, Instagram.

“In India — home to one of the world’s largest youth populations and a diverse creator community, we will continue to listen to the needs of both teenagers and parents. We are very encouraged that 97 per cent of teenagers aged 13 to 15 have stayed within these protective settings globally,”she added.

Instagram Teen Accounts come with built-in safety features that limit who can interact with teenagers and what kind of content they can see.

These settings are automatically applied, and teenagers under the age of 16 require parental permission to make them less strict.

Key features of these protections include default private account settings, restrictions on who can message, tag, or mention teenagers and content filters that reduce exposure to potentially harmful or sensitive material.