While the Internet remains an insecure place for teenagers and underage users, a curse on their digital privacy, companies and Social Media Platforms are working on updates and features to better protect the privacy and security of their younger users. Meta, the parent of Facebook, is now taking it one step further by releasing new privacy updates for teens on Instagram and Facebook.
Users under the age of 16 (under 18 in some countries) will automatically receive more personal settings when they join Facebook or Instagram. It will also encourage minors on the platform to increase their privacy with several settings that will allow them to decide who can view their friend list, people, pages, and viewers of posts they are tagged in. Young users will also have the option to view posts they have been tagged in previously if they appear on their profile.
These new updates come after Instagram rolled out tools to help parents better track and control their kids’ social media accounts. Meta also announced that it is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to create a global platform to help teens concerned that their personal photos may be shared without their consent.
The recently introduced Meta rules are reminiscent of regulations proposed by the Children’s Online Safety Act, a bill by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). State and national lawmakers are pushing for tech companies to update their security standards to ensure teens have the highest privacy priorities from the start.
According to the company, it will encourage teens to choose more private settings for:
1) Who has access to their friend list?
2) Who can see the people, pages, and lists that they follow
3) Who can see the posts that they are tagged in
4) View the posts that they are tagged in before they appear on their profile
5) Who is permitted to leave comments on their public posts?”
How can I use them?
To better inform parents about these features, Meta has also created a unique educational hub. This platform contains a wide range of infographics, videos, blogs, and articles to help parents learn more about how the younger generation is using social media.
You can use this feature like a Social Media Marketing Expert because all guidance is provided by infographics, videos, blogs, and articles.
Meta Attempting to Stop the Online Spread of Teens’ Intimate Images
Meta also provided an update on their efforts to prevent the online spread of teens’ intimate images. It is collaborating with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) on a project to create a global platform for teens who are concerned that intimate images they clicked will be shared on public online platforms without their consent.
Meta added that they are also collaborating with Thorn and their NoFiltr brand to develop educational materials that reduce the shame and stigma associated with intimate images and empower teens to seek help and reclaim control of what they have shared or are victims of sextortion.