Jan 10, 2024 11:43:00

Instagram and Facebook users under the age of 18 will be subject to a regulation that ``sensitive content such as suicide and sex will be hidden even if posted by users they follow.''

In order to protect young people under the age of 18, Meta has announced that it will make changes that will collectively hide sensitive content that was previously displayed if it belonged to users you follow.

New Protections to Give Teens More Age-Appropriate Experiences on Our Apps | Meta

https://about.fb.com/news/2024/01/teen-protections-age-appropriate-experiences-on-our-apps/

According to Meta, users under the age of 18 will no longer be shown any sensitive content related to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, nudity, etc., and users under the age of 18 who search for such content will be directed to specialized agencies. The company plans to change the system so that it allows people to ask for support.

This regulation is the strictest viewing regulation on Facebook and Instagram. Meta had previously imposed restrictions on users under the age of 18 to hide sensitive content from ``users they don't follow,'' but from now on they will be able to hide sensitive content from ``users they follow.'' Content will no longer be displayed.

Until now, new registrants were automatically subject to the above restrictions, and from now on, the same restrictions will be extended to existing users as well. As of January 9, 2024, Meta says it is 'planned to be fully implemented within the next few months.'

Originally, Meta allowed people to share content about suicide, self-harm, and 'struggles' with eating disorders, but it was deemed inappropriate for people under the age of 18. The company has been focusing on ways to make content harder to find. With this change, full-scale regulation will finally be implemented.

It has also been revealed that the protection system that prevents content that violates Meta's rules from being displayed in search results will be further expanded to include more words and phrases. This change applies to all users.

Meta encourages users under the age of 18 to regularly review their privacy settings, and also sends notifications that allow them to tighten their privacy settings with a single tap. By changing to Meta's recommended settings, you can hide offensive comments and limit message exchange to your followers.

Meta has often been criticized for the negative impact Facebook and Instagram have on teenagers' minds, and in 2023

was sued by attorneys general in the District of Columbia and 41 states. Meta says it has 'spent more than a decade developing policies and technology to address content that violates our rules or that may be considered sensitive,' and that it does not allow users under the age of 18. He emphasized that he is putting effort into efforts to protect the species, and explained that the recent tightening of regulations is part of that effort.