Meta has rolled out new privacy updates for teenagers on Instagram and Facebook, to protect them from online harm. Starting now, anyone who joins Facebook under the age of 16, or under the age of 18 in some countries, will automatically be placed in more private settings, the company said in a blogpost.
Meta announces privacy updates for teens on Facebook, Instagram
The company is also testing methods to prevent teenagers from messaging suspicious adults they are not connected to, and the platform won’t display them in the People You May Know recommendations.
As per the blogpost, users under the age of 16 (or under 18 in certain countries) will be defaulted into more private settings when they join Facebook. For teens who are already on the platform, Meta will ask them to change their settings to privacy for:
Who can see their friends list
Who can see the people, Pages and lists they follow
Who can see posts they’re tagged in on their profile
Reviewing posts they’re tagged in before the post appears on their profile
Who is allowed to comment on their public posts
We’re introducing updates on @facebook and @instagram to further protect teens from harm online. And starting today, everyone under the age of 16 — or under 18 in certain countries — will be defaulted into more private settings when they join Facebook.https://t.co/9FB4yCCrJ5
— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom) November 21, 2022
It also created a number of tools for teens to inform the company if something makes them feel uncomfortable while using the applications.
Meta is also developing tools to prevent the online spread of self-generated intimate photographs.”We’re working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to build a global platform for teens who are worried intimate images they created might be shared on public online platforms without their consent,” the company said.
Additionally, Meta is working with Thorn and their NoFiltr brand to create educational materials which will help teenagers reduce the shame and stigma surrounding intimate images.
–With inputs from IANS