Social media

Kids under 16 will no longer be allowed to livestream on Instagram without parental consent

They will also be unable to unblur nudity in direct messages they've received without parental approval, and safeguards will extend to Facebook and Messenger.

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The social media company said Instagram, Facebook and Messenger users under 16 will be placed into a teen account.

Instagram users under 16 won't be able to livestream or unblur nudity in direct messages they've received without parental approval, owner Meta Platforms said Tuesday as it widened its safety measures for teenagers.

The social media company also said it was extending safeguards for users under 18 to Facebook and Messenger.

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Meta launched its teen account program for Instagram in September to give parents more options to supervise their children's online activity amid a growing backlash against how social media affects the lives of young people.

The latest changes will roll out first to users in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia, before going out to global users in the following months.

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Under the changes, teens under 16 are blocked from using Instagram Live unless parents give permission. They also need permission to “turn off our feature that blurs images containing suspected nudity” in direct messages, Meta said in a blog post.

In another major update, Meta said it's extending the teen account safeguards to its Facebook and Messenger platforms,

These will include protections already in place for teen Instagram users, including setting teen accounts to private by default, blocking private messages from strangers, strict limits on sensitive content like fight videos, reminders to get off the app after 60 minutes and notifications that are halted during bedtime hours.

“Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens’ time is well spent,” Meta said.

The company said at least 54 million teen accounts have been set up since the program launched in September.

Teens Say Instagram's Focus on Fitness Made Body Image Worse
Wall Street Journal tech reporter Georgia Wells talks about the recent widely shared report documenting Facebook's awareness of body image issues stemming from the app Instagram. Teenage Instagram users who experienced body image issues said the app was making those issues worse with a focus on fitness and showing more and more pages with idealized bodies.
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