Meta announced on April 11 that it is rolling out additional built-in protections for teens on Instagram in India, along with planned safeguards on Facebook and Messenger.
This move is part of the company's broader efforts to strengthen its safety features for young users amid increased scrutiny by lawmakers and parents.
It comes a few months after the social networking giant unveiled plans of extending 'Instagram Teen Accounts', or accounts aimed at users aged 13–17 with built-in protections for online safety and privacy, to India in a phased manner.
As part of the new protections on Instagram, teens under 16 will no longer be able to go live or turn off the app's feature that blurs images containing suspected nudity in direct messages without permission from their parents.
"Young people deserve safe, age-appropriate online experiences, and these updates are part of our long-term commitment to building platforms that prioritize their well-being. When we launched Teen Accounts on Instagram last year, our aim was to create technology that balances self-expression with built-in protections" said Tara Hopkins, Global Director of Public Policy, Instagram.
"In India — home to one of the world’s largest youth populations and a diverse creator community, we will continue to listen to the needs of both teens and parents. We are very encouraged that 97% of teens aged 13 to 15 have stayed within these protective settings globally,” she added.
Meta first announced Instagram Teen Accounts, a feature designed to offer safer, more age-appropriate experience for young users in September 2024. It was initially rolled out in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, followed by the European Union. Over 54 million teens now use Instagram Teen Accounts worldwide, the company said.
Meta also plans to extend Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger for users in India later this year. It was introduced in United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada last week.
These accounts will feature similar safeguards, including protection from unwanted contact, reduced exposure to sensitive content and tools for managing time spent within the app. Further, parents will be able to supervise how their teens interact across Meta apps, the company stated.
India is the biggest user market for the company with over a billion users across its family of products that include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads.
Meta stated that it has been actively engaging parents, educators, and young users through a series of initiatives focused on online safety and digital well-being of youth in the country. The company hosted Talking Digital Suraksha for Teens across six cities to raise awareness among parents about over 50 safety tools available on its platforms.
Meta also organised a Teen Safety Forum today to raise awareness about its efforts to offer a safe online experience to teens, during which the company announced new restrictions for young users in the country. The event was led by Hopkins and Tweak India founder Twinkle Khanna.
“Social media is an incredible tool, but it can also be overwhelming — especially for teens. As a parent, I know how hard it can be to strike the right balance between giving your teen freedom and making sure they are safe online. The new Instagram Teen Accounts features will give teens the tools to steer their own ship while parents can keep an eye out to make sure they don’t crash into icebergs” Khanna said.
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