Meta is expanding its features to give parents greater control over their teens' use of Messenger and other corporate apps.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has announced the launch of parental supervision tools for the chat app Messenger. These features allow parents to gain insight into how long their teen is using Messenger, see who their teen interacts or can interact with, and gain insight into their privacy and security settings. Additionally, they will be notified if their teen reports someone on the app (assuming the teen chooses to disclose this information). However, it is important to note that the parental supervision tool does not give parents access to the messages their teen sends to others.
Meta introduces a new monitoring tool for parents in Messenger. support their young people within the Meta Family Center Parental supervision on Messenger is now available in the US, UK and Canada . Meta plans to expand the service to additional countries worldwide in the coming months.
Meta: New features for more control
Meta has unveiled a range of new security tools designed to give parents more control over their teens' activities on Messenger and Instagram DM. Parents and guardians can now see how much time their children spend on Messenger.

They'll receive updates about changes to their contact lists and privacy settings, and will be notified if their teen decides to block another user. Additionally, parents can now check which types of users (friends, friends of friends, or no one) can contact their children, although they cannot change this setting.
The Messenger monitoring tool for parents offers the following options
- Insight into the time your teen spends on Messenger
- View your teen's contact list on Messenger. You will receive updates on this list as well as your teen's privacy and security settings.
- Notification when your teen reports someone (if the teen chooses to share this information)
- Insight into who can message your teen (only friends, friends of friends, or no one) and insight into whether your teen will change that preference
- You can see who can see your teen's Messenger stories, including a notification when these settings are changed.
No access to message content
Meta emphasizes that these features specifically do not allow parents to read the content of teens' messages on Messenger or Instagram DM. This is an important step in protecting teens' privacy while improving their online security.
Reaction to criticism and scandals
The new security tools come just weeks after the Wall Street Journal published a damning report that exposed how pedophiles allegedly manipulate Instagram to buy and sell child pornography. Bills are emerging in several states that would force social media companies to obtain parental consent before offering their services to minors. These changes are Meta's latest attempt to recover from a long history of reports and leaked documents linking its products to harm to minors.
Collaboration with parents and experts
Meta emphasizes that the new updates are intended to help young people feel comfortable in their online experiences and parents in caring for their children. The company plans to continue working with parents and experts to develop additional features that support teens and their families.
New features on Instagram
On Instagram DMs, Meta is testing a feature that forces users to send an invite and get permission to connect before they can contact a user who doesn't follow them. The new feature is not specific to teens and could be implemented on Instagram as a whole. In practice, it is similar to the invitation tool currently used by LinkedIn. Meta will limit these invitations to text to prevent users from receiving unwanted images or videos.
Introduction of “ Quiet Mode”
Around six months after introducing Quiet Mode on Instagram, which temporarily pauses notifications and sends an automatic reply to other users when a user is unavailable, Meta plans to make this mode available to Instagram users worldwide in the coming weeks make.
New “nudges” for young users
Meta has also introduced several new “nudges” to warn young users who are at risk of falling into a “doom scrolling” session. A new notification on Facebook will ask young users to consider taking a break if they use the app for more than 20 minutes. The company says it is also testing a feature that will encourage teens to close the Instagram app when scrolling through their feeds late at night. Both features come on the back of a growing body of scientific research showing a strong link between prolonged screen time and signs of anxiety and depression in some young users.
Expanded visibility for parents
Parents also have new, more comprehensive insight into their teens' Instagram usage. When a teen user blocks someone, they receive a notification encouraging them to add their parents as guardians to their account. Parents can also see how many friends their teen shares with an account. Meta hopes these tools and insights will encourage teens to talk more with their parents about their social media use.

Meta and child protection legislation
The new security tools come at a time when lawmakers across the country are considering new laws that would force social media and other technology companies to adopt stricter privacy measures for young users. Almost everyone agrees that more can be done to protect young users, but states disagree on how to actually implement these changes. Some states, such as California and Minnesota, are pursuing laws that would place tight limits on the data companies can collect on minors. Others, such as Texas and Utah, prohibit tech companies from opening accounts for minors unless the young users first obtain parental consent.
Conclusion : Meta's new security features are an important step in the right direction to improve young people's online safety. However, it is clear that there is still much work to be done to ensure that social media remains a safe and positive place for young users. It’s up to all of us – parents, guardians, tech companies and lawmakers – to work together to ensure we make the most of digital opportunities while minimizing the risks. Tech companies, including Meta, have vehemently opposed this wave of legislation, arguing that the laws are too broad and could paradoxically force them to collect more sensitive data from young users to meet various age verification requirements. It remains to be seen how Meta and other technology companies will respond to these challenges.
Source: Meta Newsroom
Also read: Meta launches paid verification service for Facebook and Instagram
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