Meta Adds New Safety Tools to Protect Teens and Kids Online

Meta has introduced new tools to make Instagram and Facebook safer for teens and kids. These updates focus on improving private messaging, protecting against harmful content, and controlling who can interact with young users.

Now, teen users will see more safety tips when chatting with others. They will also be able to block and report someone more easily. In June, teens used these tools to block over 1 million accounts and report another million.

To fight scams, Meta is adding a “Location Notice” on Instagram. This warning shows up if someone from another country starts a chat. These scams often target teens, so the feature helps them stay alert and safe.

Meta is also keeping the nudity protection feature turned on by default. It blurs nude images in messages and warns users before they open or share them. In June, nearly everyone kept this setting active, and many chose not to forward such images.

For accounts run by adults that show kids—like family blogs or child influencers—Meta is now using teen-level safety settings. It will also hide these accounts from people who seem suspicious. Recently, Meta removed hundreds of thousands of accounts for posting or requesting inappropriate content. The company is working with other platforms to stop these users from returning.