Meta adds parental control tools in Instagram and Messenger

These tools will initially rollout to users in the US, UK, and Canada but Meta says they will be expanded to more regions in the coming months. (Image: Meta)

Meta has added more parental control tools to the Family Center in Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram. These tools will initially rollout to users in the US, UK, and Canada but Meta says they will be expanded to more regions in the coming months.

Also read | Meta launches Quest+ subscription for VR headsets

As Engadget notes, parents or guardians will be able to view how much time their kids spend online, and control their privacy and safety settings. They will also be able to see and control who messages them and view the Stories they post.

The parents/guardians will get notifications for any changes in their contact lists or any changes made to their privacy or safety settings. If a child reports unwanted users to Meta, their guardians will automatically be notified if the child decides to share their data with their parents.

Besides this, the platforms will encourage users to take periodic breaks after prolonged use. There is also a Quiet mode for Instagram, which will mute notifications and automatically change profile status.

Also read | EU, Meta agree to July stress test on EU online content rules

Instagram is testing a new feature that will restrict DMs from unknown contacts. They must first send an invite to recipients that needs to accepted before they can see the message.

The external user will only be able to send one invite at a time until the recipient accepts it. The invites are also text-only, prohibiting unknown contacts from sending photos or videos.