Meta is expanding safety measures for teenagers on Instagram, blocking the live broadcast option (live on Instagram) for teenagers under the age of 16. Further, the measures will also include Facebook and Messenger.
Parents will also be asked to turn off a feature that blurs out nudity in DMs. The changes were introduced to protect teens from social media exposure. Instagram users under 16 will also need permission from their parents to make other changes to the app's settings. For 17-year-olds, new options will be available, allowing them to make the changes they want.
Meta stated that teenage accounts on Instagram have spread massively and there are about 54 million accounts managed by people under 18 years of age, worldwide. Concrete measures have been taken for the safety of teenagers. For example, the United Kingdom government has implemented the Online Safety Act. According to this Act, since March 2025, many sites and applications (Facebook, Google, X, Reddit and OnlyFans) are obliged to follow a certain protocol to protect teenagers' exposure to adult content that may also include content that shows sexual abuse, fraud, terrorist material, violence, etc.
This act also contains provisions for the protection of children and requires various social media platforms to protect adolescents from harmful content such as that related to self-harm and suicide.
Source: The Guardian
