In a significant development aimed at enhancing online safety for teenagers, Meta has expanded its Teen Accounts initiative across its platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. Initially launched a year ago, this feature has now reached hundreds of millions of teens globally, with the recent expansion to Facebook and Messenger ensuring a more comprehensive protection strategy. Teen Accounts were developed to address parents’ primary concerns about their children’s online interactions, offering automatic safeguards that manage online connections and monitor the content teens are exposed to. This initiative has been met with positive feedback from parents who appreciate the added peace of mind regarding their children’s digital experiences.
Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, expressed his commitment to ensuring that social media remains a safe space for teenagers. He highlighted the importance of allowing teens to engage with friends and explore their interests without encountering unsafe or inappropriate content. Among the measures introduced with Teen Accounts are restrictions on live streaming, more stringent controls on direct messages, and improved methods to ensure age-appropriate experiences. Mosseri emphasized that supporting parents and providing a safe online environment for teens is a responsibility that Meta takes seriously.
Expanding Support to Schools and Teachers
In addition to focusing on parents, Meta has recognized the critical role that schools and educators play in maintaining online safety for teens. To this end, Meta has launched the School Partnership Program for middle and high schools across the United States. This initiative, developed in collaboration with the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, empowers educators to report safety concerns, such as bullying, directly to Meta for expedited review. Schools participating in this program can expect prioritized reviews of Instagram content or accounts that might violate community standards, with the aim of resolving these reports within 48 hours.
The School Partnership Program, which was piloted over the past year, has received positive feedback from schools that have participated. Now, all middle and high schools in the U.S. have the opportunity to join the program by visiting Meta’s dedicated educator’s page or navigating through Instagram’s account settings. Schools that become partners will benefit from prioritized reporting, receive educational resources to help navigate social media, and have a banner displayed on their Instagram profile to signify their official partnership with Instagram. Justin Ponzio, Principal of Buchser Middle School, praised the partnership, noting the importance of new methods to ensure student safety in an increasingly digital world.
Online Safety Curriculum for Middle Schoolers
Earlier this year, Meta announced a partnership with Childhelp to create an innovative online safety curriculum specifically designed for middle school students. This curriculum aims to educate students on how to stay safe online, identify signs of online exploitation, and know where to seek help if needed. Funded entirely by Meta, the curriculum is freely available and includes comprehensive training for facilitators, scripted lessons, interactive activities, and videos. The goal is to reach one million students, with over 550,000 U.S. middle schoolers expected to be taught using this curriculum in the coming year.
Understanding that middle schoolers often prefer to engage with peers closer to their age, Meta has also collaborated with LifeSmarts to adapt the curriculum for high school students, enabling them to teach their younger peers. This peer-led version of the curriculum is now available, providing an additional layer of engagement and education.
Meta remains committed to supporting parents and protecting teens on its platforms. The company continues to explore new methods to enhance safety and plans to share further updates on its initiatives soon.
For more details about the Teen Accounts initiative and Meta’s efforts in online safety, you can visit Meta’s official news page.
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