Overview

• Meta says hundreds of millions of teens are now in Teen Accounts across Instagram, Facebook and Messenger as automatic placement extends globally, with rollouts beginning immediately in countries such as Pakistan.
• Defaults include private profiles, tight limits on who can message teens, friend-only story interactions, parental approval required for under‑16s to change settings, hourly use reminders, overnight Quiet mode and AI age checks.
• Instagram is opening its School Partnership Program to all U.S. middle and high schools to fast‑track bullying reports and provide education resources.
• A report co-authored by former Meta engineer Arturo Béjar with Northeastern and NYU researchers and advocacy groups found only 8 of 47 Instagram safety tools tested worked effectively, citing failures in DM filters and harmful content recommendations.
• Meta called the report misleading and says protected teens see less sensitive content and fewer unwanted contacts, while UK regulator Ofcom signaled services that fall short should expect enforcement under the Online Safety Act.