Meta rolls out new privacy updates for teens on Instagram, Facebook

Meta has rolled out new privacy updates for teenagers on Instagram and Facebook, to protect them from online harm.

Starting now, anyone who joins Facebook under the age of 16, or under the age of 18 in some countries, will automatically be placed in more private settings, the company said in a blogpost.

The company is also testing methods to prevent teenagers from messaging suspicious adults they are not connected to, and the platform won't display them in the People You May Know recommendations.

It also created a number of tools for teens to inform the company if something makes them feel uncomfortable while using the applications.

Meta is also developing tools to prevent the online spread of self-generated intimate photographs. "We're working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to build a global platform for teens who are worried intimate images they created might be shared on public online platforms without their consent," the company said.

Additionally, Meta is working with Thorn and their NoFiltr brand to create educational materials which will help teenagers reduce the shame and stigma surrounding intimate images.