Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is rolling out new measures aimed at protecting teens from unwanted contact and simplifying parental control over their online experiences.

The new measures include stricter private messaging defaults for teens under 16, who will no longer be able to receive messages from people they don't follow or aren't connected to by default. Previously, adults over 19 were unable to direct message teens who didn't follow them. The new measure extends this restriction to all users, regardless of age.

Parents using Instagram's parental supervision tools will now be prompted to approve or deny teens' requests to change their default safety and privacy settings to a less strict state, instead of just being notified of the change. This is a significant shift towards giving parents more control over their children's online safety.

In the coming months, Meta plans to launch a new messaging safety feature designed to protect people, including teens, from seeing potentially inappropriate images in their messages from people they're connected to, and to discourage them from sending these images.

These new measures build on Meta's earlier announcements to hide potentially sensitive content from teens on Instagram and Facebook, and to roll out new nighttime nudges to encourage teens to close Instagram at night.

Meta already has over 30 tools and features to support teens and families, demonstrating its commitment to enhancing online safety. This latest move is a clear indication of the company's ongoing efforts to create a safer and more controlled online environment for its younger users.