Meta is expanding the scope of its Instagram Teen Accounts experience to Facebook and Messenger. Meta says the new Teen Accounts will begin rolling out in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, with expansion to the rest of the world coming soon. It’s not exactly clear when ‘soon’ will be, as the social media company only states that it intends to “make these updates available in the next couple of months.”
Meta for kids (yikes)
The new restrictions to the program include further protections to Instagram Live and DMs. Teens under sixteen must get permission from their parents to go live on Instagram. Notifications will also be turned off at night, with reminders to close the app after 60 minutes.
Beyond moderated teen content and restrictions to text only the accounts they already follow, teens will also need parental permission to remove the blur filter on pictures with suspected nudity in their direct messages. How this technology exactly works isn’t explained, but the settings state: “Technology on your device blurs photos in messages if nudity is detected.” In 2025, that probably means something to do with AI. Teens can only remove this filter through parental permission.
Meta is also finally exporting Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger. The feature will operate in largely the same way as it does on Instagram, with limits to teens’ access mediated by algorithms and parental permissions.
Meta claims the Teen Accounts test has been a success. The social media company says it has migrated “at least 54 million active Teen Accounts globally,” with more anticipated as it migrates to other platforms. It also claims that a somewhat surprising 97% of teens stayed within the Teen Accounts restrictions. A survey run by the company also claims 94% of parents believe in the program, and 85% feel it’s contributed to more positive (or, rather, less negative) experiences for their teens.
