#Teen Accounts

Meta has announced new updates to its Teen Accounts program, expanding safety features for young users across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. The company unveiled the changes during its Screen Smart event in Makati, highlighting additional safeguards designed to help teens have age-appropriate experiences on its platforms while giving parents more control over account settings. According to Meta, Teen Accounts are protected by default. Users aged 13 to 15 cannot change key safety settings without parental approval, while those aged 16 to 17 are given more flexibility but can still involve parents in managing their accounts. Meta said Teen Accounts are set to private by default, limiting who can view content and interact with young users. Only people already connected to a teen account can send direct messages, while messages from strangers are blocked by default. Meta acknowledged that age verification remains one of the biggest challenges in implementing teen safety features. To address this, the company uses artificial intelligence and age-detection technologies to identify accounts that may have provided inaccurate birth dates. Read more in our articles including "Meta strengthens teen protections across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger" and "Facebook disables 2.19 billion accounts in Q1 2019".