Meta, as of January 25 (Thursday), has put a stop to strangers sending direct messages to young teens via Instagram or Messenger.
Now, by default, teens under 16 can only receive messages or join group chats from people they already follow or are connected to, as per the company’s announcement. Teens here are those under eighteen, considering the birthdate given during sign-up.
If you want to change this setting, Meta says it will require approval through “parental supervision tools” integrated into the apps, emphasizing a commitment to teen safety.
They’re also actively working on preventing teens from encountering unwanted or inappropriate images in direct messages.
Meta Launches End-to-End Encryption for Facebook and Messenger
These updates follow accusations from several US states, claiming that Meta has been harming the mental health of children and teens while misleading users about platform safety.
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