Meta Expands Facebook Teen Accounts Worldwide With Added Protections

Meta has announced the global rollout of its “teen accounts” feature on Facebook and Messenger, aimed at strengthening safety and parental controls for users aged 13 to 17.

The tech giant confirmed in a blog post on Thursday that the feature, which had previously launched in select English-speaking countries, is now being extended to adolescents worldwide.

“We’ve placed hundreds of millions of teens in Teen Accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, and now we’re expanding them to teens around the world on Facebook and Messenger,” Meta said.

Introduced first on Instagram in 2023, teen accounts provide enhanced security settings, content restrictions, and parental controls. In April, the feature was extended to Facebook and Messenger in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

According to Meta, restrictions are designed to address key parental concerns by limiting who teens can interact with, restricting sensitive content, and ensuring healthier screen time habits. Importantly, users under 16 cannot disable these limits without parental approval.

The move comes as concerns grow globally over teenagers’ social media usage, particularly regarding excessive screen time and exposure to harmful or inappropriate content.