Meta has announced a series of new updates to better protect young social media users from exposure to cyberbullying and other harmful behavior.Stricter privacy control for users under 16
First, Meta will now enforce stricter privacy controls by default for all users under the age of 16 who sign up for Facebook. With the privacy settings, the youth’s friend list and the pages he follows will be limited, the posts he is tagged in will be hidden, and he will be prevented from commenting on unrelated public posts.
The company implemented a similar one on Instagram in July last year. Users under the age of 16 have their accounts set to private by default; this means strangers won’t be able to see or comment on posts or stories, nor will they show up in searches and discovery.
User profiles will continue to be displayed in the app. However, only people they approve as links will be able to see their content or communicate with the person. There may be a risk of children confirming questionable links. Meta also takes precautions against this; It will restrict children from communicating with adults within the application. Accounts that have been blocked and reported as suspicious will not be able to message young users, will not be included in their People You May Know suggestions, and even the send message button will be removed. This feature is currently in testing.Meta will also display alert notifications to encourage teens to use the new privacy features. The company, together with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), is creating a platform for young people who are concerned that their private images may be featured on social media without their consent.
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