London. Instagram users under the age of 16 will no longer be allowed to livestream or unblur suspected nudity in direct messages without parental consent, Meta Platforms announced Tuesday as part of an expansion of its safety measures for teenagers.

The social media giant also said it will extend similar safeguards to Facebook and Messenger users under 18.

Meta first introduced its teen account supervision tools for Instagram in September, aiming to give parents greater oversight of their children's online activity amid growing concerns over social media’s impact on youth.

The latest updates will initially roll out in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, with a global rollout planned in the coming months.

Under the new rules, teens under 16 will be blocked from using Instagram Live unless their parents grant permission. They will also need parental approval to disable a feature that automatically blurs images suspected of containing nudity in direct messages, Meta said in a blog post.

In a significant expansion of its safety program, Meta will bring the same protections already available on Instagram to Facebook and Messenger. These include automatically setting teen accounts to private, blocking direct messages from strangers, limiting exposure to sensitive content such as fight videos, and sending reminders to log off after 60 minutes. Notifications will also be paused during nighttime hours to encourage healthier screen habits.

“Teen accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens’ time is well spent,” Meta said.

Since launching its teen safety initiative in September, Meta said more than 54 million teen accounts have been created under the program.

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