Meta’s social media platforms Instagram and Facebook are preparing new measures to protect teens online. These measures involve restricting these teens from accessing certain types of content on the platform. With these new measures, teens will be on the most restricted content that is available on the platform to help protect them from any form of harm these contents might expose them to.
In recent times, Meta has come under pressure from various governmental bodies regarding the content they permit teens access to. These bodies argue that Meta’s social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook lack the necessary guidelines for teens’ content consumption. In light of this, these platforms are now adjusting the way and the type of content they restrict teens from accessing on the platform.
Instagram, for instance, is going to restrict teens from searching for certain terms like “suicide,” “self-harm,” and “eating disorders.” This will be to prevent teens from any form of content that might trigger unwanted thoughts in their minds, hence affecting their performance or outlook. If teens search for this kind of content, Instagram will redirect them to contact appropriate help channels via the platform.
Even in Stories and Feeds on the platform, Instagram is going to prevent teens from viewing harmful content. Meta will apply these new restrictions to teens currently on the platform and teens who’ll join the platform in the future. Well, the move to protect teens doesn’t just stop at restricting their access to harmful content.
Meta will also enable teens to easily update their safety and privacy settings, prompting users to turn on the “recommended settings.” This will help control the kind of content they can view through reposts and comments, tagging, or mentions on the platform. With these moves, Meta’s Instagram and Facebook will better equip themselves to protect teens from harmful content.