Meta announced on Thursday that its Teen Accounts are now being expanded to teens on Facebook and Messenger globally, after initially only being available to users in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. The accounts, which feature built-in protections and parental controls for younger users, first launched on Instagram last fall.
Teen Accounts were originally launched shortly after Meta and other popular social networks were grilled by U.S. lawmakers for not doing enough to protect teens on their services.
With the global expansion on Facebook and Messenger, teens will now automatically be placed into an experience that is designed to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact. Teens under the age of 16 need their parents’ permission to change any of the settings.
Additionally, teens will only receive messages from people they follow or have messaged before. Only teens’ friends can see and reply to their stories. Plus, tags, Mentions, and comments will also be limited to people they follow or who are their friends.
Teens will also receive reminders to leave the social networks after using them for an hour a day, and they’ll be enrolled in “Quiet mode” overnight.
The expansion of Teen Accounts comes as research led by a Meta whistleblower recently found that children and teens are still at risk from online harm on Instagram, even after the company has rolled out protections. The study found that despite being placed into Teen Accounts, young users can still come across suicide and self-harm posts, along with posts describing demeaning sexual acts. Meta has disputed the claims and said its protections have led to teens seeing less harmful content.
Meta also announced on Thursday that it’s officially launching the School Partnership Program, which allows educators to report safety concerns, like bullying, directly to Instagram for quicker review and removal.
The company says it piloted the program earlier this year and heard positive feedback from participating schools. Now, all middle and high schools in the U.S. can sign up for the program to receive prioritized reporting and education resources. Schools that are part of the program will receive a banner on their Instagram program to notify parents and students that they are an official Instagram partner.
Thursday’s announcement marks Meta’s latest step toward addressing teen mental health concerns tied to social media. These concerns have been raised by the U.S. surgeon general and several states, some of which have even started restricting teens from using social media without a parent’s consent.
