Meta has decided to prevent children under the age of 16 from going live on Instagram without parental permission.
Meta announced that the measures will be implemented in Europe in the coming months following their initial rollout in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
On Tuesday, Meta introduced a series of new safety measures for young users on its platforms, including preventing those under 16 from going live on Instagram without parental permission. The social media company also stated that it has expanded safety measures for users under 18 on Facebook and Messenger. In a period where there has been increased concern about the impact of social media on young people's lives, Meta launched its youth account program for Instagram in September to provide parents with more options to monitor their children's online activities. The recent changes will first be made available to users in the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia, and will roll out to users in other countries in the following months. Among the changes, users under 16 will be prevented from using Instagram Live unless their parents give permission. In a blog post, Meta stated that they also need permission to "turn off our feature that blurs images containing 'suspected nudity' in direct messages."
Expanding safety measures on Facebook and Messenger In another significant update, Meta announced that it has extended protections for young accounts to the Facebook and Messenger platforms. These will include settings where youth accounts are set to private by default, blocking private messages from strangers, strict limits on sensitive content such as fight videos, reminders to log out after 60 minutes, and paused notifications during bedtime hours, which are already available for young Instagram users. Meta stated, "Youth Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will feature similar automated protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted interactions, as well as provide ways for young people to have a positive experience." The company mentioned that since the program launched in September, at least 54 million young accounts have been created.