Meta cracks down on teen safety: New rules to block livestreams, nudity on Instagram

London: Meta Platforms has announced new safety measures for teenagers across its platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, to protect them from potentially harmful content and interactions. The updates, which will first be rolled out to users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, will later be extended globally.

Under the new guidelines, users under 16 will no longer be able to livestream on Instagram or unblur images containing nudity in direct messages without parental consent. These changes are part of a broader effort by Meta to give parents more control over their children's online activity. The company’s teen account program, launched in September, aims to address concerns about the impact of social media on young people’s lives.

In addition to these restrictions, Meta will apply similar safeguards to its Facebook and Messenger platforms, offering automatic privacy settings and limits on sensitive content for teen accounts. These include making teen accounts private by default, blocking private messages from strangers, and setting strict limits on potentially harmful content such as fight videos. Meta will also remind teens to take breaks after 60 minutes of use and stop notifications during bedtime hours.

Since the program's launch, over 54 million teen accounts have been set up across Meta’s platforms. These new measures are designed to ensure a safer and more controlled experience for young users.