Meta’s Latest Move: New Features to Keep Students Safe
As of February 10th, 2023, Meta, the social media giant that owns Instagram and Facebook, is taking action to make sure that students are protected online. With over 36.7% of the global population on Facebook monthly in 2022, these new privacy features will protect students around the world.
Among families and educators, there is a growing concern over just how well students are protected on social media, especially with issues like cyberbullying and how it may impact students’ mental health. With this in mind, Meta recently announced the launch of several new features that will improve the safety and well-being of students on its platforms. Let’s take a closer look at what these features are and how they can make a difference for students.
A quick glance at a few of Meta’s new features
For Students
- Hide your posts’ like counts: Hide the amount of likes your posts have so you don’t have to worry about how many people see
- Subtly protect your account: Use the Restrict feature to quietly prevent certain people from commenting on your posts.
- Quiet mode: Set healthy boundaries with your screen time by using this feature to hide notifications and have auto-replies sent in your dm’s.
- Take a Break: Turn on the Take a Break feature to remind yourself to take a step back from social media from time to time.
- Nudge: While scrolling on your Explore feeds, Instagram will notify you to “switch to a different topic” if you’re constantly seeing the same kinds of content.
For All Meta Apps
- Age verification using AI: With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), Meta can tell if a user is an adult or a teen and adjust the user’s feed based on their age. For example, Facebook dating profiles won’t be available for teens.
- Default private account: Gone are the days of having to go into your settings to pick whether you want your account to be private or public. When you join Instagram or Facebook, your profile will automatically be private if you’re 16 and under.
For Families
- Instagram and Meta Quest Supervision: Allows families to manage their students’ time on the platforms, see who they’re followed by and following, and receive notifications about in-app purchases.
- Family Center: Gives families a “one-stop shop” for supervising their student’s account and provides them with resources to learn about Meta’s privacy policies and more. (Psst. students have to mutually agree with their families before their accounts can be viewed in the Family Center).
TSI’s Take
Meta’s latest move of releasing new features to keep students safe on its social media platforms is definitely a step in the right direction. These new features give teens the tools that they can use to take control of their social media accounts in a positive, safe way. As educators, we have the chance to share how Meta’s newest features can help our students thrive online.
Looking to learn more about how many students use Meta apps like Instagram on a daily basis? View our 23 Insights for 2023 on How Students Navigate Well-being, Social media, and Tech here!
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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in understanding student experiences and creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that have a significant impact on student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support the health, happiness, and future success of students, while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications, and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.