Meta has announced that hundreds of millions of teens are now using Teen Accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. These accounts are designed to address concerns from parents about their children's safety online by limiting interactions and controlling the type of content teens can access. The rollout, which began on Instagram a year ago, is now expanding globally to include Facebook and Messenger.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, said: “We want parents to feel good about their teens using social media. We know teens use apps like Instagram to connect with friends and explore their interests, and they should be able to do so without worrying about unsafe or inappropriate experiences. Teen Accounts are designed to give parents peace of mind. Since launching on Instagram a year ago, we’ve added limits on teens going Live, more restrictions in DMs, and also improved our ability to make sure people are in age-appropriate experiences. Supporting parents and helping teens use our apps safely is a responsibility we take seriously.”
In addition to parental controls, Meta is introducing new support for schools and teachers through the School Partnership Program for all US middle and high schools. Developed with input from the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, this program allows educators to report safety concerns such as bullying directly for faster review—reports are aimed to be addressed within 48 hours.
The School Partnership Program was piloted over the past year before opening up nationwide registration. Schools that join receive benefits such as prioritized reporting on Instagram content or accounts potentially violating community standards, educational resources for navigating social media safely, and an official partner banner displayed on their profile.
Justin Ponzio, Principal at Buchser Middle School, commented: “Partnering with Instagram has been incredibly helpful in keeping our students and community safer online. I had an inside track and faster responses to reports of inappropriate behaviors online. As a principal of four years, responsible for over 700 students, I cannot stress enough the importance of new ways to keep kids safe in this changing world. I’m excited that more schools will get the chance to do this. I hope other technology platforms can also trust schools more and take down harmful posts.”
Earlier this year Meta also partnered with Childhelp to create an online safety curriculum tailored specifically for middle schoolers in the United States. The program aims to reach one million students by providing free resources—including facilitator training and scripted lessons—to help young people identify risks such as online exploitation. According to feedback from educators who have accessed it so far, over 550,000 middle schoolers are expected to participate within the coming year.
A peer-led version of this curriculum has been developed with LifeSmarts so high school students can teach younger peers about staying safe online.
Meta states it will continue developing initiatives aimed at supporting parents while protecting young users across its platforms.