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Meta is rolling out new protections aimed at making social media safer for young people. Last September, Instagram introduced Teen Accounts, which come with built-in safeguards that limit who can contact teens, what content they see, and how long they spend on the app.

Since then, adoption has been strong: 97% of teens ages 13-15 kept the default settings, and 94% of parents say Teen Accounts are helpful. Now, Meta is expanding those protections beyond Instagram. Teen Accounts are coming to Facebook and Messenger worldwide, bringing stronger safety standards to more of the apps teens use every day.

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Meta’s new Teen Accounts automatically limit who can contact teens online. (Meta)

Meta Teen Accounts bring stronger safety tools

Teen Accounts automatically apply safety limits, including:

Restrictions on who can send direct messages.
Filtering to reduce exposure to sensitive or harmful content.
Time management tools to encourage healthier app use.

Meta says these measures address parents’ top concerns, giving teens more control while reassuring families that their online experiences are safer.

Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, emphasized the goal: “We want parents to feel good about their teens using social media… Teen Accounts are designed to give parents peace of mind.”

Critics and researchers question Meta’s teen safety tools

However, not everyone agrees that these protections go far enough. Research regarding the effectiveness of Instagram’s teen safety features, as reported by child-safety advocacy groups and corroborated by researchers at Northeastern University (September 25, 2025), paints a different picture. The study found that only 8 of 47 safety features tested were fully effective, and internal documents suggest that Meta was aware of some shortcomings. Critics also argued that certain protections, like manual comment-hiding, place the burden on teens themselves rather than preventing harm upfront. They questioned whether time management tools were robust enough, giving some features middling grades despite functioning as described.

In a statement, Meta told CyberGuy,

“Misleading and dangerously speculative reports such as this one undermine the important conversation about teen safety. This report repeatedly misrepresents our efforts to empower parents and protect teens, misstating how our safety tools work and how millions of parents and teens are using them today. Teen Accounts lead the industry because they provide automatic safety protections and straightforward parental controls. The reality is teens who were placed into these protections saw less sensitive content, experienced less unwanted contact, and spent less time on Instagram at night. Parents also have robust tools at their fingertips, from limiting usage to monitoring interactions. We’ll continue improving our tools, and we welcome constructive feedback – but this report is not that.”

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Parents say the built-in safety settings give them more peace of mind

Parents have more peace of mind as they can add a guardian to the account. (Meta)

Meta expands teen safety with school partnerships

Meta is also extending protections to the classroom. The School Partnership Program is now available to every middle and high school in the U.S. Through this program, educators can report issues such as bullying or unsafe content directly from Instagram.

Reports receive prioritized review, typically within 48 hours. Schools that join also get:

Access to educational resources on online safety.
A banner on their profile signaling official partnership.
Faster escalation paths to address urgent safety concerns.

Educators who piloted the program praised the improved response times and stronger protections for students.

Schools now get faster tools to report bullying and harmful content

There are more protections for teens in the Teen Account than a normal account.

Meta launches online safety lessons for students

Beyond apps and schools, Meta partnered with Childhelp to create a nationwide online safety curriculum tailored for middle schoolers. The lessons cover how to recognize online exploitation, what steps to take if a friend needs help, and how to use reporting tools effectively.

The program has already reached hundreds of thousands of students, with a goal of teaching one million middle schoolers in the coming year. A peer-led version, developed with LifeSmarts, empowers high school students to share the curriculum with younger peers, making the safety conversation more relatable.

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Meta’s curriculum teaches middle schoolers how to stay safer online

Meta’s curriculum includes settings for children to stay safer online. (Meta)

What this means for you

For parents, Teen Accounts mean extra protection is in place without needing a complicated setup. Your teen gets safer defaults by default, giving you peace of mind. For educators, the School Partnership Program provides a direct connection to Meta, ensuring reports of unsafe behavior get attention quickly. Students benefit too, with a curriculum designed to give them practical tools for navigating online life safely.

At the same time, the pushback from critics highlights that there is still debate about whether these safeguards go far enough. While Meta insists its tools work as intended, watchdogs argue that protecting teens online requires even stronger measures.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Meta’s expansion of Teen Accounts marks a major shift in how social platforms approach safety. By adding built-in protections, the company reduces risks for teens without requiring parents to manage every setting. At the same time, the School Partnership Program gives educators new tools to protect students in real time. The online safety curriculum goes one step further by teaching kids how to recognize threats and respond confidently. Still, advocacy groups and independent researchers question whether these efforts are enough, and Meta’s strong defense shows just how high the stakes are in the teen safety debate. As teens spend more of their lives online, the responsibility to protect them grows. The real test will be how well these tools hold up against evolving online threats.

Do you think Meta’s new measures are enough to protect teens, or should tech companies do even more? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com/Contact

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.