- Two new safety features will soon roll out for Instagram’s teen accounts. One disables live streaming for those under 16 without a parent’s permission, and the other removes the option to unblur images containing nudity in direct messages.
- Meta, Instagram’s parent company, will release the new features in the coming months.
- It will also add teen-specific accounts to Facebook and Messenger.
Full Story
Instagram is rolling out new features to safeguard kids and teens online.
What’s changing?
The social media platform’s owner, Meta, announced Tuesday, April 8, that children under 16 will no longer be allowed to livestream on Instagram without a parent’s permission.
They also cannot unblur nudity in direct messages they’ve received on their own.
The new safeguards are part of Meta’s teen account program, which launched in September 2024. According to the company, at least 54 million teen accounts have been set up since then.
As part of Tuesday’s announcement, Meta said it’s also extending those safeguards to Facebook and Messenger.
How else are they keeping kids safe online?
Along with the new safety features, teen accounts also automatically turn off notifications overnight, remind users to leave the app after 60 minutes and only allow teens to be messaged by people they follow or are already connected to.
Anyone under 16 who wants to change those settings must have a parent’s permission.
When will the changes happen?
Meta said the changes will roll out to users in the U.S., Britain, Canada and Australia before expanding to global users in the coming months.
