 "Meta’s new rule: Teens under 16 can no longer livestream on Facebook, Messenger")
Meta on Tuesday announced that it will discontinue the livestreaming feature on Instagram for teens in an effort to make the platform safe for underage users.
Under the new safety measures, teens under the age of 16 will no longer be able to live-stream from their accounts without parental permission. They will also require their parents permission to switch off the feature that blurs sensitive content.
“We know parents are worried about strangers contacting their teens – or teens receiving unwanted contact. In addition to the existing built-in protections offered by Teen Accounts, we’re adding new restrictions for Instagram Live and unwanted images in DMs,” Meta said in a statement.
Last year, Instagram rolled out teen accounts designed specifically for underage users. On Tuesday, the tech giant extended teen accounts to Facebook and Messenger. Teens are immediately placed in such accounts, with those under 16 unable to change settings without parental permission.
In a statement, Meta said it was expanding the restrictions in the coming months to stop teens from going live or turning off protections for unwanted images in direct messages on their own.
“Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens’ time is well spent,” it added.
Facebook teen accounts will initially be available in only the US, UK, Australia and Canada following which it will be launched in other countries.
At least 54 million teenagers currently have a teen account, which also limits overnight notifications and has reminders to leave the app after an hour.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUsers can only be messaged by people they follow or are already connected to.
Adolescent use of social networks has prompted concern in recent years, notably about the amount of screentime and lack of moderation on some platforms.
In 2024, the Australian government banned social media for teens, inviting criticism from around the world, including from social media platforms.
TikTok recently launched a function in the European Union allowing parents to limit the amount of time that teenagers spend on the app.
With inputs from agencies
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