Meta to provide more ‘age appropriate’ content to teens, limit harmful items

Meta Platforms on Tuesday said it would hide more content from teens on its social media platforms: Instagram and Facebook. This comes, as regulators around the globe urged the social media giant to protect children from harmful content on its apps.

In a blog post, Meta said that all teens will now be placed into the most restrictive content control settings on itsapps. Furthermore,additional search terms will be limited on Instagram, said the tech giant.

This means that now it will be more difficult for teens to accesssensitive content such as suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, evenwhile using features like Search and Explore on Instagram.

When will Meta implement the measures?

As per a Reuters report, Meta said the measures which would help deliver a more "age-appropriate" experience areexpected to roll out over the coming weeks.

Why these new steps?

It has been alleged that Meta apps Instagram and Facebook are addictive and have contributed to a youth mental health crisis.

Arturo Bejar, aformer Meta employee, testified before the USSenate, claiming the company was aware of the harassment and other issues faced by teens on its platforms, but that it failed to take action.

Bejar has urged Facebook and Instagram to change the design of Facebook and Instagram to nudge users towards positive behavioursand give young people better ways to handle the bad experiences. On Tuesday, hesaid that Meta's changes did not address his concerns. He remarked thatthe company was relying on "'grade your own homework' definitions of harm" and that it still fails to offer a way for a teen to easily report an unwanted advance. Talking to Reuters, he said,"This should be a conversation about goals and numbers, about harm as experienced by teens."

The company facespressure both in the United States and Europe. In October, the social media giant was sued by the attorneys general of 33 USstates, including California and New York. The attorneys general alleged that the company repeatedly misled the public about the dangers of its platforms.

In Europe, the European Commission has demanded information from Meta about its methods of safeguarding children from illegal and harmful content.

(With inputs from agencies)