ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Social media plays a huge role in teen life, but it’s not without risks. Studies from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show that excessive use of social media can lead to anxiety, depression and exposure to harmful content. As concerns grow, Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is stepping up its efforts to protect young users online.

What You Need To Know

  • Meta is expanding its Teen Accounts safety features from Instagram to Facebook and Messenger to better protect young users

  • New tools include message limits, content filters, daily time limits, and parental permission for any changes to settings

  • Teens under 16 are now blocked from going Live without parental approval and can’t disable the nudity protection feature

The company is now expanding its Teen Accounts feature, originally launched on Instagram, to both Facebook and Messenger. The goal is to create a safer and more controlled experience for teens, while also helping parents stay actively involved in their children's digital lives.

The features include message restrictions, content filters and a daily time limit that encourages healthy screen habits. If a teen wants to make changes to those settings, such as extending their screen time or adjusting content filters, they’ll first need parental permission.

“So these are built-in default protections for teens. If parents want to supervise or if teens ask and want to change out of these strict settings, they'll get their parent's permission. A parent and a teen can kind of agree to a supervised experience, and then the parent has even more control and more insight into the teen’s account. They can access that through the Family Center or settings,” said Jennifer Hanley, North American head of safety at Meta.

So far, Meta reports that over 54 million teens around the world are already using these safety features, with most sticking to the strictest settings by default. Parents, too, are finding the tools helpful and supportive of their efforts to manage their teen’s social media activity.

Some of the newest rules include preventing teens under 16 from going Live on the platform unless their parents give them permission. Teens in that age group will also no longer be able to turn off the built-in nudity protection feature, part of Meta’s efforts to reduce exposure to inappropriate content.

The new protections are now live and available through the Family Center section in each app. Meta also says additional updates are on the way as they continue to expand the program globally.