Meta is making changes to Instagram and Facebook Messenger aimed at better protecting minors from unwanted online contact, placing more restrictions on who can message teens while giving parents more control over their children's safety settings.
Notably, the company announced that by default, teens under 16 (or 18 in some countries) will no longer be able to receive messages from, or be added to group chats from, users they don’t follow or are connected to on Instagram and Messenger.
Meta has introduced a series of safeguards over the past year in response to accusations that its algorithms helped turn Facebook and Instagram into "marketplaces for predators looking for children."
Unlike previous restrictions that only restricted adults over 19 from sending DMs to minors who don't follow them, these new rules will apply to all users, regardless of age. Meta said Instagram users will be notified of the change via a message at the top of their "feed." Teens with supervised accounts will need permission from the parent or guardian who oversees their account to change this setting.
Parental monitoring tools on Instagram are also expanding. Instead of just being notified when their children change their security and privacy settings, parents will now be prompted to approve or deny their request -- for example, preventing them from moving their profile from private to public.
Parents can now directly control changes to their children's privacy and safety settings on supervised Instagram accounts.
Meta also said it is working on a new feature designed to protect users from receiving unwanted or inappropriate images in messages from people they have established connections with, while also blocking those users from sending such content. There's no release date yet, but Meta says the feature will be available in encrypted chats and more information will be revealed later this year.