Recently, Meta has taken an important step towards protecting teenagers on its social networks. With the aim of facilitating the transition to safer accounts for young users of Facebook and Messenger, the company has begun to implement a strategy that combines direct communication with parents and the use of artificial intelligence.
Starting today, parents will receive notifications on Instagram that will guide them on how to talk to their children about the importance of using their real age online. To this end, Meta has collaborated with pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, who has created a list of tips to help parents address this essential topic and verify the age their children have registered on their profiles.
The importance of parental supervision
By involving parents, Meta aims not only to promote online safety but also to strengthen the relationship between parents and children around digital navigation. With so many constant updates on the platforms, it can be a challenge for parents to keep up, but by providing them with tools to review their children’s age settings, it is hoped that this will encourage a healthier dialogue about online safety.
Despite these efforts, there will always be cases where some parents do not respond to notifications or do not have an account to receive them. To address this situation, Meta plans to use AI, at least in the United States, to identify accounts that, although they indicate an older age, belong to teenagers and automatically convert them into teen accounts.
Meta has commented on this: “We have been using artificial intelligence to determine age for some time, but leveraging it in this way represents a significant shift. We are taking steps to ensure that our technology is accurate and that we place identified teenagers in age-appropriate protective settings, but in case of making a mistake, we are providing the option to adjust their settings.”
The new teen accounts include several protective measures, such as account privacy, where teenagers must accept follow requests before their content is visible. Additionally, messaging will be restricted only to those who are connected with the teenager or whom they follow, protecting them from unwanted messages. Other useful features include usage time reminders and sleep mode.
With these actions, Meta seeks to create a safer digital environment for young users, reinforcing the importance of communication and parental supervision.
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