Meta announces new restrictions for Teen Accounts on Instagram and Facebook
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A Meta, conglomerate behind social networks like Facebook e Instagram, announced a new package of measures to intensify the security of Teen Accounts, users under 16 years of age, including stricter restrictions on certain features such as live broadcasts, sensitive images and chats. Understand what the restrictions are for Teen Accounts No. Instagram, Facebook e Messenger and how to activate them.
What is a Teen Instagram Account?
Launched in September 2024, the Teen Account do Instagram was created by Meta to provide a safer experience for users aged 13 to 17. The focus is to apply, by default, stricter privacy and security settings, limiting sensitive content (by the Take It Down tool), unwanted contacts and promoting the conscious use of the platform.
From the moment it arrived, profiles for people under 18 (or 16, in the case of existing accounts) have automatic settings and are automatically private. This means that only approved followers can see the content, and interactions with strangers are blocked. Direct messages are also at the most restricted level — only contacts already connected can send messages.
Additionally, sensitive content control is set to the option that reduces exposure to materials such as fighting or cosmetic surgeries in sections such as Exploring e Reels. Tagging and mentions are limited to followers, and the “Hidden Words” feature is enabled in the strictest mode. Time management includes reminders to use the app after 60 minutes and “Sleep Mode,” which silences notifications at night.
Therefore, for those under 16 on Instagram, any flexibility in settings requires parental permission via Parental Supervision. Those aged 16 and 17 have more autonomy, except on accounts under active supervision. According to the MetaSince launch, more than 54 million accounts have been migrated to this style, with 97% of 13-15 year olds keeping the default settings.
Lives on teen accounts are now restricted
Within the recent update package, two specific changes to the Instagram stand out for reinforcing parental control over features considered to be of greater risk to younger users. The first is the new restriction on live broadcasts: users under the age of 16 are now prohibited from starting a Live on Instagram unless they obtain permission from a parent or guardian who is supervising the account.
A Meta justifies the measure due to the nature of live broadcasts: because they are in real time, they offer fewer opportunities for prior moderation of content and comments, exposing young people to a potentially greater risk of unwanted interactions, harassment or viewing inappropriate content.
The second relevant change concerns direct messages (DMs). The Meta had already implemented, in April 2024, a feature that automatically blurs images received in DMs that are suspected of containing nudity, a measure aimed primarily at combating online sexual extortion (sextortion).
What’s new is that teens under 16 will now also need parental permission to disable this blur feature. This change makes the protection against unwanted nudity more “persistent,” making it harder for younger users to opt out of this particular layer of security.
Teen Facebook Account
Along with the announcement of new features on Instagram, Meta announced that it has expanded its Teen Accounts for users of Facebook and Messenger, the company's messaging platform – previously integrated with Facebook.
In practice, existing users with declared age between 13 and 17 years old in Facebook e Messenger will be migrated to this new, more protected type of account, and new teenage users will be able to join directly in this format. But what are the restrictions on teenage accounts on Facebook?
The protections implemented will seek to mirror those already present in the Instagram, adapted to the functionalities of each platform. This includes, for example, audience restrictions (publications on Facebook may default to visibility only to “Friends”), more restrictive messaging settings (limiting who can start a Messenger chat, usually to existing friends or connections), automatic filtering of sensitive content to display more age-appropriate material, and limited interactions (such as needing to approve tags in posts before they appear on the profile).
Time management tools like the reminder after 60 minutes of daily use and Sleep Mode (activated between 22pm and 7am to silence notifications) will also be part of the default experience on Facebook and Messenger Teen Accounts.
Just like in Instagram, the fundamental rule remains: teenagers under 16 will need permission from a parent or guardian, via a supervision tool, to change these default settings to less restrictive options.
How do I set up supervision for a teen account?
Although optional for general use of the platforms, enabling supervision is necessary for parents or guardians to grant specific permissions, such as allowing the use of Instagram Lives or authorize the relaxation of default privacy and security settings for younger children. This supervision is managed through the Family Center (Family Center) of Meta.
Access to this feature is via the settings menu of the respective app or directly via the Family Center. One of the parties – the teenager or the parent/guardian – must initiate an invitation to connect the accounts for supervision. Both parties must accept the invitation, and in many cases, the teenager must confirm the connection for supervision to be activated. See the step-by-step guide below.
How to activate the function in Instagram
Step 1: Open your profile on Instagram and click on the three dashes in the upper right corner.
Step 2: Open the app settings and find the Family Center.
Step 3: On the Family Center and click Start .
Step 4: Invite the teenager you will be supervising.
See how to do it at Facebook
Step 1: Open the app, then open the settings in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Step 2: Open the app settings and find the Family Center.
Step 3: Select “Create Invitation”. Then, just copy the invitation link and send it to your teen.
Once set up, supervision provides parents with a dashboard with a variety of tools and information. Parents can set daily usage time limits for the app and schedule scheduled breaks. Parents can view how much time their teen has spent on the platform and access information such as lists of followers and followed accounts, as well as contacts on the app. Messenger. Notifications can be sent to parents when a teen follows a new account or reports content or a profile.
It is important to note, however, that supervision does not grant parents access to the content of messages exchanged by the teenager or their search history, preserving a certain level of privacy.
What did you think of the new safety features for children and teenagers on social media? Meta? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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Text revised by Alexandre Marques in 09 / 04 / 2025.
Sources: Facebook, TechCrunch, Instagram
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