Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is improving teen safety on Instagram.
Not to be confused as a glitch, accounts for teenage users in South Korea will automatically switch to private starting in January.
News1 reported that Meta began its Teen Accounts feature for users under 18, which sets accounts to private by default. Users will only be able to message accounts they already follow. Explanatory content and sensitive material will also be blocked. Algorithmic recommendations will also be limited to minimize exposure for teenagers.
Parental controls will also be enhanced. Users under 16 cannot change their account to public without parental permission, and parents will be given access to check who they are messaging on Instagram. This update also includes a feature to limit app usage time. If users under 18 spend more than 60 minutes on the app daily, they will receive a notification, and the app will default to sleep mode from 10 PM to 7 AM.
Meta plans to implement these measures across multiple countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., in the next 60 days.
The European Union intends to apply this policy at the end of this year, while other countries will begin in January.
This change comes as Meta and other social media companies face increasing criticism and lawsuits over teenage addiction.
33 U.S. states, including California and New York, sued Meta last year for its platform’s associated risks. In July, the U.S. Senate passed a bill holding social media companies accountable for their impact on teenagers.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri acknowledged that while the new measure might negatively impact Meta’s profits and the app’s popularity in the short term, it is expected to help gain parents’ trust and benefit the business in the long run.
How effective Meta’s changes will ensure teen safety remains to be seen.
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