Meta officially announced on Tuesday that it is working to hide more sensitive content from teenagers on Instagram and Facebook after receiving global pressure from regulators. The social media giant is aiming to protect children from harmful content on its platforms. This step will make it more difficult for teenagers to browse through sensitive content including suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders when they click on features such as search and explore on Instagram and Facebook.
All teenagers’ accounts will by default go under the most restrictive content control settings on the Meta platforms, Instagram and Facebook. One should note that additional search terms will be restricted on Instagram, as announced by Meta. The blog post shared by Meta states, "We want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences on our apps." Users should know the latest details.
Here is everything you should know about the new initiative announced by Meta that will protect teenagers from harmful content on Instagram and Facebook. Read till the end to know all the latest announcements by the officials.
Instagram and Facebook Harmful Content Policies: Details
According to the latest details, if a teenager follows an account posting about sensitive topics on Instagram and Facebook, those posts would be eliminated from the teenager's feed. The company stated that the measures are expected to be rolled out over the coming weeks.
Meta is under pressure in the United States and Europe over allegations that its apps are addictive and have increased the problem of a youth mental health crisis. In Europe, the European Commission has collected information on how Meta saves children from illegal and harmful content on the apps.
Once the rules are enforced, the new Instagram and Facebook policies will default teenage users to the most restrictive settings. They will not be allowed to search for topics like suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.
It is important to note that while the platform will allow users to share such content, Meta announced that accounts that post such content will be redirected to expert resources so they can receive help.
Users should note that the update on Facebook and Instagram will be rolled out to everyone in the next few weeks. It is important to stay informed and update the Meta platforms on time.
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