Meta has announced a series of AI-based security tools to prevent teens from being blackmailed on Instagram. The update, aimed at enhancing privacy and parental controls, will automatically port Instagram accounts of users under 18 to “Teen Accounts,” which are private by default.
Under these changes, teens can only be messaged and tagged by accounts they follow or are connected to, with the most restrictive settings for sensitive content. Additionally, new features will prevent screenshots and screen recordings of photos and videos sent using the ‘view once’ or ‘allow replay’ feature. This will also extend to Instagram web, to prevent circumvention.
Meta will also hide followers and following lists of accounts detected with scammy behaviors, limiting scammers’ ability to exploit these features for blackmail. A global rollout of a nudity protection feature will blur images containing nudity in DMs, warning users of the risks associated with sending sensitive images.
An informative PSA will educate teens on avoiding “sextortion scams,” and a daily notification will remind under-18 users to close the app after 60 minutes. A default sleep mode will silence notifications overnight. The rollout will begin within 60 days in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia, with the European Union following later this year. Global implementation is expected in January.
