Meta Cranks Up Teen Safety with New Restrictions on Facebook and Messenger

Meta is tightening the reins when it comes to teens on its platforms. Starting this week, the company is rolling out "Teen Accounts" on Facebook and Messenger—an automatic safety bubble designed for users under 16. The feature, which was first introduced on Instagram last September, will now be available in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada, with more countries on the way.


So, what does a Teen Account actually do? In short: it limits who can interact with teens, what kind of content they see, and how long they stay online. Teens will only be able to receive messages from people they already follow or have previously messaged. Same goes for who can reply to their stories or tag them—only friends get that privilege. Random strangers? Not invited.

And if you think a teen can just flip off those settings—think again. Users under 16 will need parental permission to make any changes. That includes going live on Instagram or turning off the nudity-blurring feature in DMs, which now also require a parent's green light.

Meta isn't just winging this. The company says 97% of teens aged 13–15 on Instagram is keeping the default protections turned on. They've already moved 54 million accounts into this safer zone, with more to come. According to a Meta-commissioned Ipsos survey, 94% of parents think these tools help them support their teens' social media habits, and 85% believe Teen Accounts make the whole experience more positive.

There's also a friendly nudge built in: after an hour of scrolling, teens will get a reminder to log off, and "Quiet Mode" kicks in overnight to help them take a break.

While Meta isn't dishing out every detail about the exact restrictions, it's clear the move is part of a bigger push to address growing concerns about social media's impact on teen mental health. With pressure from lawmakers, health officials, and states introducing stricter rules around underage users, Meta seems to be saying: we hear you—and we're working on it.

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