Home » US business news » Meta adds security features to protect young Instagram and Facebook users from being messaged by ‘suspicious’ adults
Meta adds security features to protect young Instagram and Facebook users from being messaged by ‘suspicious’ adults
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By Nithya Bose in US business news, posted November 22, 2022
Facebook-owner Meta is exploring ways to make the social network and its photo and video-sharing service Instagram safer for teenagers.
The firm has announced some of the new measures it is taking which it hopes will add more security for young people.
Its new feature will restrict teenagers from texting "suspicious" adults on Facebook and Instagram.
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These profiles are those that a young person has blocked or reported.
Meta said it won't suggest these suspicious accounts to teenagers.
The firm is also trying to remove the message button on their Instagram accounts when suspicious adults view their profile.
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This tool will protect young people from getting inappropriate messages from adults.
Online safety has long been a worry on social networks, and politicians and advocacy groups have pressed Meta to do more to address the issue.
The firm also said that it is aiming to assist children who are concerned that their private images may be exploited and spread without their consent.
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Meta said: "The non-consensual sharing of intimate images can be extremely traumatic and we want to do all we can to discourage teens from sharing these images on our apps in the first place.”
In collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the social media giant announced the launch of a global platform for kids to address this issue.
The company also offers online advice for teenagers who are asked to send inappropriate or sexual images or videos of themselves.
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Meta stated that it is sending a safety alert to minors on Facebook Messenger and Instagram.
It outlines the measures they can take in response to a suspicious account like blocking, restricting, and reporting a user
The notice also urges users to report the accounts to Meta.
Meta reported a 70 percent rise in reports sent by minors in the first three months of this year compared to the previous quarter.
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When people under the age of 16 or 18 in some countries, join Facebook, the firm says they will have more private settings by default.
Users may limit who can view their friends list or the profiles they follow on Facebook, among other privacy measures.
These include checking posts in which another user has "tagged" them before they show on their profile.
Instagram began making teen accounts private by default last year.
Source: CNET
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