Meta publishes a series of child safety updates on Facebook and Instagram. The company is testing new ways to protect teenagers when they can send messages to potentially suspicious adults. In addition, all users under the age of 16 will have to go through several privacy-related steps when they want to create a Facebook account.

What does Meta say – the company’s announcement

Updates to limit unwanted interactions

The company is testing new ways to protect teenagers when they can send messages to potentially suspicious adults they’re not related to. Additionally, their profile will no longer be featured in the You May Know Them section. For added security, it’s also testing removing the message button from teens’ Instagram accounts when their profiles are viewed by suspicious adults.

Encouraging teenagers to use safety equipment

We’ve developed a number of tools for teens to let us know if something makes them feel uncomfortable while using our apps, and we’re introducing new notifications to encourage them to use these tools. For example, we ask teens to report an account they’ve blocked, and we send them a safety alert with information on how to handle inappropriate messages from adults.

New privacy settings for teens on Facebook

Starting today, all users under the age of 16 (or 18 in some countries) will have several privacy-related steps when they join Facebook, and we encourage teens who already have an account to choose these settings to ensure they greater degree of privacy.