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Meta has announced a new set of safety updates for teen accounts across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger, as regulators worldwide increase scrutiny of how social media platforms protect younger users.
According to the US-based tech firm, the changes focus on placing teens in age-appropriate online environments, giving parents more oversight and expanding wellbeing safeguards.
Meta said its age-appropriate 13+ content settings have now been rolled out globally across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger Teen Accounts.
On Facebook, the setting is designed to reduce teens' exposure to content considered inappropriate for their age in Feed and Reels. It also limits interactions with profiles, pages, groups and events that primarily share such content.
On Messenger, the setting restricts teens from viewing links to inappropriate Facebook content and from chatting with accounts that mainly post such material. The company said the aim is to ensure teens see content comparable to what would be considered age-appropriate by default.
Meta widens AI-powered age detection across more features
Meta said it is expanding its AI-powered age assurance measures to identify underage users and place them in age-appropriate experiences. The company uses signals from posts, comments, bios and captions, along with contextual indicators such as birthday celebrations and references to school grades, to assess whether an account may belong to someone underage. Meta said the technology will be extended to additional features, including Instagram Reels, Instagram Live and Facebook Groups.
The company is also adding visual analysis technology to its age-detection efforts. According to Meta, the system scans photos and videos for general age-related indicators that may not be captured through text-based analysis.
Meta said the technology is not facial recognition and does not identify specific individuals. Instead, it estimates a person's general age using visual cues and combines those insights with information from text and account activity to improve the detection and removal of underage accounts.
“Keeping teens safe is one of our most important priorities, and these updates — from 13+ content settings across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, to AI-powered age detection and new parental alerts — reflect our commitment to building age-appropriate experiences by default,” said Natasha Jog, Director, Public Policy, Meta India.
Parents to get alerts for repeated self-harm related searches
Meta is also introducing a new parental alert system on Instagram. Parents using the platform's supervision tools will be notified if their teen repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period.
The feature has been rolled out to supervising parents in India, Brazil and the European Union. Meta said parents and teens will begin receiving notifications informing them about the new alerts from June 18.
Family Centre brings teen activity controls into one dashboard
The company has also updated Family Centre, its parental supervision hub. Parents of supervised teens can now manage activity across Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and Meta Horizon from a single dashboard instead of navigating separate settings across apps.
Meta said it plans to add broader cross-platform insights in the coming months, including aggregated data on the time teens spend across its services.
The announcement comes as policymakers in several countries debate stricter rules for minors' access to social media platforms, including proposals in the UK that could restrict social media use for users under the age of 16.
According to the US-based tech firm, the changes focus on placing teens in age-appropriate online environments, giving parents more oversight and expanding wellbeing safeguards.
Meta said its age-appropriate 13+ content settings have now been rolled out globally across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger Teen Accounts.
On Facebook, the setting is designed to reduce teens' exposure to content considered inappropriate for their age in Feed and Reels. It also limits interactions with profiles, pages, groups and events that primarily share such content.
On Messenger, the setting restricts teens from viewing links to inappropriate Facebook content and from chatting with accounts that mainly post such material. The company said the aim is to ensure teens see content comparable to what would be considered age-appropriate by default.
Meta widens AI-powered age detection across more features
Meta said it is expanding its AI-powered age assurance measures to identify underage users and place them in age-appropriate experiences. The company uses signals from posts, comments, bios and captions, along with contextual indicators such as birthday celebrations and references to school grades, to assess whether an account may belong to someone underage. Meta said the technology will be extended to additional features, including Instagram Reels, Instagram Live and Facebook Groups.
The company is also adding visual analysis technology to its age-detection efforts. According to Meta, the system scans photos and videos for general age-related indicators that may not be captured through text-based analysis.
Meta said the technology is not facial recognition and does not identify specific individuals. Instead, it estimates a person's general age using visual cues and combines those insights with information from text and account activity to improve the detection and removal of underage accounts.
“Keeping teens safe is one of our most important priorities, and these updates — from 13+ content settings across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, to AI-powered age detection and new parental alerts — reflect our commitment to building age-appropriate experiences by default,” said Natasha Jog, Director, Public Policy, Meta India.
Parents to get alerts for repeated self-harm related searches
Meta is also introducing a new parental alert system on Instagram. Parents using the platform's supervision tools will be notified if their teen repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period.
The feature has been rolled out to supervising parents in India, Brazil and the European Union. Meta said parents and teens will begin receiving notifications informing them about the new alerts from June 18.
Family Centre brings teen activity controls into one dashboard
The company has also updated Family Centre, its parental supervision hub. Parents of supervised teens can now manage activity across Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and Meta Horizon from a single dashboard instead of navigating separate settings across apps.
Meta said it plans to add broader cross-platform insights in the coming months, including aggregated data on the time teens spend across its services.
The announcement comes as policymakers in several countries debate stricter rules for minors' access to social media platforms, including proposals in the UK that could restrict social media use for users under the age of 16.
