In a significant step towards enhancing online safety for teenagers, Meta has announced the launch of Teen Accounts in South Africa.
Meta has launched Teen accounts as part of the companies broader commitment to ensuring safe, private, and positive online experiences for teens across Africa.
This also helps parents to keep track of their teens online activity without invading their privacy.
Key protections offered with Meta Teen Accounts include:
- Teen accounts default to private: Under-16s need parental guidance to change this setting.
- Messaging Restrictions: Teens can only receive messages from people they are already connected to.
- Sensitive Content Control: Teen accounts default to limited sensitive content in search, explore, feed, and reels.
- Limited Interactions: Teens can only be tagged by followers; hidden words anti-bullying feature is enabled by default.
- Time Limit Reminders: Notifications prompt teens to exit the app after 60 minutes of daily usage.
- Sleep Mode: Enabled from 10pm to 7am, this feature mutes notifications and sends automatic replies to direct messages overnight.
To mark the launch, Meta is hosting an exclusive event series where parents, content creators, policy stakeholders, media and teens can engage on the available safety features and tools.
Meta says it remains committed to developing tools, resources, and partnerships that protect teens and foster safer online experiences for families in South Africa.
For more information about Teen Accounts and updates to parental supervision tools, click here.
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