Meta, young users in the digital world with a step that prioritizes the safety of Facebook and Messenger’da young accounts have commissioned the feature. This new system automatically includes an experience equipped with certain restrictions to protect young people from potential risks. In the first place, this innovation, which is available in the United States, England, Canada and Australia, will spread to other countries in the future. The main objective of the feature is to reduce the negativities that young people may face on social media.
Young accounts were previously implemented on Instagram and were put into use in the autumn of 2023. Instagram was criticized by US politicians on the grounds that it did not protect young users sufficiently. After these criticisms, Meta took action to create a more inclusive and safe system. Now this structure is integrated into Facebook and Messenger.
Meta reminds users that they need to move away from the digital world
With the new system, users under the age of 16 are subjected to certain limitations by default. Users in this age group can only receive messages from people they have previously texted or follow. In addition, only friends can respond and see the stories of young people. Labeling, commenting and mentioning processes are also limited to acquaintances.
These limitations brought by Meta are not limited to social interaction. Young users receive notifications reminding that they should move away from the digital world when they spend an hour in the application. At night, the “silent mode” comes into play. In this way, young people do not experience digital discomfort during sleep hours.
On the Instagram side, some new measures have been commissioned. Users under the age of 16 can no longer open live broadcasts without the permission of their parents. Similarly, family approval is required to close the automatic blur in the message box of images thought to contain nudity. These measures are important to prevent disturbing content that may be encountered in the digital environment.
Despite all these arrangements, how young people’s experiences on social media will be shaped is still a matter of debate. In particular, some states in the US began to require a parent permission requirement for young people to open social media accounts. In addition, the US general surgeon frequently warns about the negative effects of young people on mental health. This step of Meta also shows that these concerns are increasingly taken seriously.
Meta also shared some data on the young accounts experience on Instagram. The company says that it has so far incorporated 54 million young users around the world. In addition, 97 percent of users aged 13-15 continue to use the assumed security settings without changing. This reveals that the system is accepted among young people.
According to a study of Meta’s IPSOS research company, the majority of parents are satisfied with this new system. While 94 percent of the parents participating in the survey find the young accounts feature useful, 85 percent state that their children experience more positive experiences. These data reveal that the impact of digital parenting is becoming more and more visible.
Although these new measures aim to direct young people to a safer digital environment, the active participation of parents for an effective result is critical. Although technological measures are not sufficient alone, they provide significant support in the regulation of children’s social media habits. In this process, both digital literacy and family communication play a key role. The steps taken by Meta aim to provide a supportive framework.