Meta is making changes to three of its biggest brands in an attempt to make them safer for young people. New parental controls are coming to Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram.
Some of these changes are designed to try and make sure that teenagers don't spend longer on the platforms than they should, while others are all about giving parents a better understanding of what their teens are up to on those platforms.
All of the new features are rolling out starting today, although there are some location limitations to take into consideration.
New Messenger tools
The changes were confirmed in a press release with Meta saying that "parents and guardians can access Messenger supervision tools and resources from leading experts to support their teens through the Meta Family Center."
The feature, called Parental Supervision on Messenger, is available in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada starting today and the company plans to expand it to other countries in the coming months.
"These tools allow parents to see how their teen uses Messenger, from how much time they’re spending on messaging to providing information about their teen’s message settings," the statement reads. "These tools do not allow parents to read their teen’s messages."
Better Instagram privacy
Meta also says that it is working to protect people from unwanted Instagram DMs so it's testing new features that will limit how people can interact with and message other people who don't already follow them on the platform.
"Before being able to message someone who doesn’t follow them, people must now send an invite to get their permission to connect," the statement says. "People can only send one invite at a time and can’t send more until the recipient accepts the invitation to connect." Those message requests are limited to just text, too.
Soft Facebook time limits
Finally, Meta says that Facebook will soon start seeing notifications that warn them when they've spent 20 minutes on the social network. They'll be prompted to take a step back, although they won't be blocked from plowing on.
"We’re also exploring a new nudge on Instagram that suggests teens close the app if they are scrolling Reels at night," Meta says.
There are other changes including some additional parental supervision features on Instagram and you can of course read all about them in that Meta blog post.
