Social media giant Meta presents fresh features, enhancements in safety for adolescents and minors
In a significant move towards enhancing child and teen safety online, Meta has rolled out a series of new tools and safety updates on its platforms Instagram and Facebook. The tech giant aims to prevent unwanted or inappropriate contact before it happens, particularly on accounts run by adults that prominently feature children.
One of the key changes involves the removal of over 635,000 harmful accounts, with 135,000 Instagram accounts and 500,000 accounts linked to harmful activity being taken down. These accounts were found to be involved in sexualized comments or exploiting children under 13 [1].
Enhanced Direct Message (DM) safety tools have been introduced for teen users on both platforms. These tools include displaying the account creation date of people messaging teens to provide more context, easy-access buttons to block and report suspicious users, and a streamlined block-and-report function allowing teens to block and report in one step to expedite account removal [1].
Meta is also introducing Safety Notices that prompt teens to take action when they feel uncomfortable. In June 2025 alone, these notices led to over 1 million accounts being blocked by teens and another 1 million accounts being reported [1].
Another feature being rolled out is Instagram’s Location Notice, which alerts teens if the person they’re chatting with may be in a different country. This is aimed at guarding against sextortion scams where perpetrators disguise their location [1].
Expanded nudity protection and protections for adult-managed accounts featuring minors are also part of the new measures. The nudity protection feature, which automatically blurs suspected nude images in DMs, remains widely adopted on Instagram and Facebook [1].
Meta is working closely with other tech companies via the Tech Coalition’s Lantern program to prevent harmful actors from resurfacing on other platforms. The company is also rolling out Teen Account-level protections for accounts run by adults that prominently feature children [1].
As of June, 99% of people, including teens, kept the content warning setting turned on. Over 10% of users who saw the "Location Notice" on Instagram tapped on it to learn more about the steps they could take [1]. The content warning feature reduced the likelihood of people forwarding explicit content by nearly 45% [1].
These measures are part of Meta’s broader ongoing effort to enhance child and teen safety online, with full implementation expected in the coming months [1][2]. The company has made it clear that the safety and well-being of its young users is a top priority.
[1] Meta Newsroom. (2025). Meta Announces New Safety Measures for Teens and Children. [online] Available at: https://about.fb.com/news/2025/06/new-safety-measures-for-teens-and-children/
[2] TechCrunch. (2025). Meta Rolls Out New Safety Measures for Teens and Children. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/01/meta-rolls-out-new-safety-measures-for-teens-and-children/
- The world is seeing significant efforts from tech companies, such as Meta, to prioritize the safety of children and teens on social-media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
- Meta, in this endeavor, is working closely with other tech companies globally, including through the Tech Coalition’s Lantern program, to prevent harmful actors from reappearing on other platforms.
- Whoever uses technology, including platforms like Instagram and Facebook, now has access to expanded protections, including enhanced Direct Message safety tools for teen users, Location Notices, and nudity protection features.
- Us, as a national community, must appreciate the ongoing commitment and actions by tech giants like Meta to ensure the safeguarding of our children's well-being in the digital world, especially in entertainment and communication sectors dominated by technology.
