Meta will limit reach of harmful content to teens on Facebook and Instagram amid scrutiny
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Meta will limit reach of harmful content to teens on Facebook and Instagram amid scrutiny

LA Times  

Meta said it will restrict inappropriate content for teenagers’ accounts on Instagram and Facebook, such as posts about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Facing increased scrutiny over its social networks’ effects on teenage users, Meta announced Tuesday that teens on Facebook and Instagram will see less content related to self-harm and eating disorders. Another change will automatically set users under 18 to the most restrictive content recommendation settings, with the goal of making it less likely that harmful content will be recommended to them by Meta’s algorithms. Surgeon General Vivek Murphy warned in May that because the effects of social media on kids and teens were largely unknown, the companies needed to take “immediate action to protect kids now.” In October, California joined dozens of other states in a lawsuit against Meta claiming that the company used “psychologically manipulative product features” to attract young users and keep them on the platforms for as long as possible.

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History of this topic

YouTube algorithm suggests videos about disordered eating to some young users, new study says
1 week, 5 days ago

YouTube algorithm suggests videos about disordered eating to some young users, new study says

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. YouTube, the social media platform most used by …

Cut risks, not potential, of social media for young with Instagram Teen Accounts
2 weeks, 1 day ago

Cut risks, not potential, of social media for young with Instagram Teen Accounts

India Today  

Being a great communication and learning tool for teenagers, managing the use of social media by them is becoming increasingly important. The idea behind Instagram Teen Accounts is to place teens in built-in protections and reassure parents that their children are having safe experiences. “Parents and educators play a vital role in managing teenagers’ social media experiences. Using these features, …

Meta's AI-Powered Tool to Detect Lies About Age on Instagram
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Meta's AI-Powered Tool to Detect Lies About Age on Instagram

India Today  

Meta's new AI tool, the 'adult classifier,' will analyze users' online behaviors and profile information to verify their age. It automatically switches users under 18 to 'teen accounts' with restricted privacy settings. This move is part of Meta's broader effort to protect teens from potentially harmful content on social media, especially as it faces legal challenges and criticism from state …

Teen social media use: Why banning isn’t the answer
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Teen social media use: Why banning isn’t the answer

Hindustan Times  

The debate around whether we should ban access to social media for teenagers aged 13 to 16 has gained significant attention. Social media is a significant part of modern communication, and teens need to develop digital literacy skills, including how to recognise misinformation, avoid dangerous interactions, and use the platforms in a healthy way. Rather than an outright ban, a …

Meta introduces new “Teen Accounts” on instagram to enhance parental control
3 months ago

Meta introduces new “Teen Accounts” on instagram to enhance parental control

New Indian Express  

Meta is launching “teen accounts” for Instagram users under 18, aimed at giving parents greater oversight of their children's online activities. Key features of the teen accounts include enhanced parental controls, such as the ability to set daily usage limits, restrict access during nighttime hours, and monitor direct messages and content categories viewed by teens. This update follows Meta's commitment …

Instagram is restricting teen accounts—and blocking sneaky workarounds
3 months ago

Instagram is restricting teen accounts—and blocking sneaky workarounds

Live Mint  

Starting this week, it will begin automatically making youth accounts private, with the most restrictive settings. And younger teens won’t be able to get around it by changing settings or creating adult accounts with fake birth dates. Instagram plans to go even further, starting next year: Using artificial intelligence, it said, it will identify children who are lying about their …

Teen sues Meta for $5bn saying Instagram’s features are ‘addictive’
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Teen sues Meta for $5bn saying Instagram’s features are ‘addictive’

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The case cites numerous internal documents …

Meta introduces new tools to protect teens against sextortion, intimate image abuse
8 months, 1 week ago

Meta introduces new tools to protect teens against sextortion, intimate image abuse

India TV News  

Meta is testing new tools to protect teens from intimate image abuse and sextortion across its apps. Meta will default teens into stricter message settings and will show safety notices to teens who are already connected with potential scam accounts. Meta also detects if a person is sending a nude image and advises them to "take care when sharing sensitive …

Meta removes over 18 million pieces of harmful content from Facebook and Instagram in February
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Meta removes over 18 million pieces of harmful content from Facebook and Instagram in February

India TV News  

Meta said that it took down more than 13.8 million pieces of bad content across 13 policies for Facebook and over 4.8 million pieces of objectionable content from Instagram across 12 policies in India in February 2024. Meta further added, "Of the other 9,212 reports where specialised review was needed, we analysed content as per our policies and took action …

Instagram's 'nighttime nudges' feature helps reduce the time teens spend on the app: Know how it works
11 months ago

Instagram's 'nighttime nudges' feature helps reduce the time teens spend on the app: Know how it works

India TV News  

What is Instgaram's Nighttime Nudges Feature: Meta, formerly known as Facebook, introduced a new feature named "nighttime nudges" to help teens manage their time on Instagram. Prioritising Sleep for Teens Recognising the significance of sleep, especially for young individuals, Meta shared in a blog post that these nighttime nudges will appear when teens engage with features like Reels or Direct …

Meta takes steps to shield teens from inappropriate content: What it means?
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Meta takes steps to shield teens from inappropriate content: What it means?

India TV News  

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has announced new steps to increase safety for teens by automatically applying more restrictive content controls. According to the company, the aim is to create a safer online environment for teens, addressing concerns related to inappropriate content and promoting a more secure social media experience. Stricter Content Controls for Teens Meta is …

Meta to hide posts about suicide, eating disorders from teens’ Instagram and Facebook feeds
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Meta to hide posts about suicide, eating disorders from teens’ Instagram and Facebook feeds

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Meta said Tuesday it will start hiding inappropriate content from teenagers’ accounts on Instagram and Facebook, including posts about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. This is an important story, and can help destigmatize these issues, but it’s a complex topic and isn’t necessarily suitable for all young people,” Meta said. “Now, we’ll start to remove this type …

Meta Designed Products to Capitalize on Teen Vulnerabilities, States Allege
1 year ago

Meta Designed Products to Capitalize on Teen Vulnerabilities, States Allege

Live Mint  

Meta Platforms sought to design its social-media products in ways to take advantage of known weaknesses of young users’ brains, according to newly unredacted legal filings citing internal company documents. Rather than seeking to crack down on underage usage, according to the complaint, Meta created charts “boasting Instagram’s penetration into 11- and 12-year-old demographic cohorts." In a 2019 email, Meta’s …

Editorial: Social media can harm kids. Lawsuits could force Meta, others to make platforms safer
1 year, 1 month ago

Editorial: Social media can harm kids. Lawsuits could force Meta, others to make platforms safer

LA Times  

It’s a rare issue that can bring 41 states together for a bipartisan fight. This week, state attorneys general across the political spectrum joined forces in suing Facebook parent company Meta for allegedly using features on Instagram and other platforms that hook young users, while denying or downplaying the risks to their mental health. This comes two years after states …

States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health
1 year, 1 month ago

States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health

Associated Press  

Dozens of U.S. states, including California and New York, are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. “Kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like Meta …

U.S. States sue Meta for harming young people’s mental health, collecting data on children
1 year, 1 month ago

U.S. States sue Meta for harming young people’s mental health, collecting data on children

The Hindu  

A group of 33 States including California and New York are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people’s mental health and contributing the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. “Kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like Meta …

States sue Meta for harming young people's mental health, collecting data on children
1 year, 1 month ago

States sue Meta for harming young people's mental health, collecting data on children

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health
1 year, 1 month ago

States sue Meta claiming its social platforms are addictive and harm children’s mental health

Associated Press  

Dozens of US states, including California and New York, are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. “Kids and teenagers are suffering from record levels of poor mental health and social media companies like Meta …

Instagram and Facebook are adding more parental controls. Critics say they aren’t enough
1 year, 5 months ago

Instagram and Facebook are adding more parental controls. Critics say they aren’t enough

Associated Press  

Instagram and Facebook’s parent company Meta is adding some new parental supervision tools and privacy features to its platforms as social media companies face increasing scrutiny over their effects on teen mental health. This, Meta says, “will help parents understand how well their teen knows these accounts, and help prompt offline conversations about those connections.” Jim Steyer, the CEO and …

Alarming findings: Instagram's disturbing role in promoting pedophiles and illegal content
1 year, 6 months ago

Alarming findings: Instagram's disturbing role in promoting pedophiles and illegal content

Hindustan Times  

Instagram, owned by Meta, has come under fire in a new report revealing its role as a platform for a "vast network" of pedophiles sharing and promoting illegal content. The investigation conducted by The Wall Street Journal, along with Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts, found that Instagram's algorithms actively connect and guide pedophiles to accounts that sell underage …

Dark truth: Meta's battle against child-sex content on Instagram
1 year, 6 months ago

Dark truth: Meta's battle against child-sex content on Instagram

Live Mint  

Instagram, the popular social-media site owned by Meta Platforms, helps connect and promote a vast network of accounts openly devoted to the commission and purchase of underage-sex content, according to investigations by The Wall Street Journal and researchers at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Instagram accounts offering to sell illicit sex material generally don’t publish it openly, …

Report: TikTok boosts posts about eating disorders, suicide
2 years ago

Report: TikTok boosts posts about eating disorders, suicide

Associated Press  

TikTok’s algorithms are promoting videos about self-harm and eating disorders to vulnerable teens, according to a report published Wednesday that highlights concerns about social media and its impact on youth mental health. “It’s like being stuck in a hall of distorted mirrors where you’re constantly being told you’re ugly, you’re not good enough, maybe you should kill yourself,” said the …

Facebook knew Instagram was pushing girls to dangerous content: internal document
2 years ago

Facebook knew Instagram was pushing girls to dangerous content: internal document

CBS News  

Families suing social media companies Suing Social Media: Families say social media algorithms put their kids in danger | 60 Minutes 13:29 A previously unpublished internal document reveals Facebook, now known as Meta, knew Instagram was pushing girls to dangerous content. Attorney Matt Bergman started the Social Media Victims Law Center after reading the so-called "Facebook Papers," disclosed by whistleblower …

Meta launches new safety features for teen users of Facebook and Instagram
2 years, 1 month ago

Meta launches new safety features for teen users of Facebook and Instagram

Hindustan Times  

Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, is launching new tools to protect teens and their privacy on its platforms. Meta also shared an update on the work they are doing to stop the spread of teens’ intimate images online. “We’re sharing an update on how we protect young people from harm and seek to create safe, age-appropriate experiences for teens …

Facebook will block kids from downloading age-inappropriate virtual reality apps
2 years, 9 months ago

Facebook will block kids from downloading age-inappropriate virtual reality apps

NPR  

Facebook will block kids from downloading age-inappropriate virtual reality apps Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images Facebook's parent company, Meta, plans to roll out parental supervision tools for its virtual reality headset, as concerns mount over whether kids are safe while exploring the so-called "metaverse." Meta is also creating a new "Family Center" hub that …

Here's How Instagram Is Reducing Potentially Harmful Content On the Platform
2 years, 11 months ago

Here's How Instagram Is Reducing Potentially Harmful Content On the Platform

News 18  

Meta-owned photo sharing platform Instagram is taking some new steps to make ‘potentially harmful’ content less visible in the app. Instagram’s rules already prohibit this type of content in users’ feeds and in Stories, and this change is expected to affect borderline posts or content that has not reached Instagram’s moderators yet. Until now, Instagram tries to hide potentially harmful …

Meta has moral obligation to make its research on mental health of children public, researchers say
3 years ago

Meta has moral obligation to make its research on mental health of children public, researchers say

India Today  

A global coalition of scholars has written to Meta, formerly Facebook, noting that the social media giant has an ethical and moral obligation to make its research on mental health public. “You and your organizations have an ethical and moral obligation to align your internal research on children and adolescents with established standards for evidence in mental health science,” the …

State attorneys general probing Instagram’s effects on kids
3 years, 1 month ago

State attorneys general probing Instagram’s effects on kids

Associated Press  

A group of state attorneys general are investigating the photo-sharing platform Instagram and its effects on children and young adults, saying its parent company Facebook — now called Meta Platforms — ignored internal research about the physical and mental health dangers it posed to young people. “For too long, Meta has ignored the havoc that Instagram is wreaking on the …

Multiple states investigating Instagram over efforts to get children active on its platform
3 years, 1 month ago

Multiple states investigating Instagram over efforts to get children active on its platform

LA Times  

A group of U.S. state attorneys general are investigating Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram photo-sharing app over its efforts to engage children and young adults, taking aim at the risks the social network may pose to their mental health and well-being. “Our coalition will not hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to protect children and young adults from the harms …

Opinion: It’s time for social networks to take a close look in the mirror
3 years, 1 month ago

Opinion: It’s time for social networks to take a close look in the mirror

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Kara Alaimo, an associate professor of public relations at Hofstra University, is the author of “Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication.” She was spokeswoman for international affairs in the Treasury Department during the Obama administration. Asked how their platforms affect the mental health of teens and even promote …

October 25, 2021 internal Facebook documents revealed
3 years, 1 month ago

October 25, 2021 internal Facebook documents revealed

CNN  

While Facebook has repeatedly come under fire over the past few years for its role in disseminating misinformation, especially related to the 2016 election, the last two months have been especially turbulent as a whistleblower and top officials have been called to testify in front of Congress following the release of leaked internal research and documents. Spread of misinformation In …

Facebook will try to ‘nudge’ teens away from harmful content
3 years, 2 months ago

Facebook will try to ‘nudge’ teens away from harmful content

The Hindu  

A Facebook Inc executive said Sunday that the company would introduce new measures on its apps to prompt teens away from harmful content, as U.S lawmakers scrutinise how Facebook and subsidiaries like Instagram affect young people's mental health. Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president of global affairs, also expressed openness to the idea of letting regulators have access to Facebook algorithms …

Instagram and teens: How to keep your kids safe
3 years, 2 months ago

Instagram and teens: How to keep your kids safe

Associated Press  

For many parents, revelations this week from whistleblower Frances Haugen showing internal Facebook studies of the harms of Instagram for teenagers only intensified concerns about the popular photo sharing app. To comply, social media companies have generally banned kids under 13 from signing up for their services, although it’s been widely documented that kids sign up anyway, either with or …

Whistleblower tells Congress that Facebook products harm kids and democracy
3 years, 2 months ago

Whistleblower tells Congress that Facebook products harm kids and democracy

NPR  

Whistleblower tells Congress that Facebook products harm kids and democracy Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images A former Facebook product manager told Congress on Tuesday that the company's products harm children and stoke division, while Facebook executives hide research about the social network's risks to keep its business humming. Facebook internal research provided by Haugen …

Senators push Facebook exec on Instagram policies for youth
3 years, 2 months ago

Senators push Facebook exec on Instagram policies for youth

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Senators fired a barrage of criticism Thursday at a Facebook executive over the social-networking giant’s handling of internal research on how its Instagram photo-sharing platform can harm teens. “It’s abundantly clear that Facebook views the events of the last two weeks purely as a PR problem, and that the issues raised by the leaked research haven’t led to …

Under criticism, Facebook to highlight own positive research on Instagram and teens
3 years, 2 months ago

Under criticism, Facebook to highlight own positive research on Instagram and teens

The Hindu  

Facebook Inc, under criticism over internal data showing its Instagram app damaged the mental health of teenagers, plans to highlight during a U.S. Senate hearing on Thursday what it argues were more positive impacts, according to the company's prepared testimony seen by Reuters. Facebook has been under fire for the past week after the Wall Street Journal reported internal documents …

Instagram is not toxic for teens, says Facebook
3 years, 2 months ago

Instagram is not toxic for teens, says Facebook

India TV News  

Facebook has shared more details about its internal research into Instagram's impact on teenage girls as the social media giant hits back at a report on the research after it was made public on The Wall Street Journal. In a blog post, Facebook Vice President and Head of Research, Pratiti Raychoudhury dismissed the WSJ's assessment of internal research as not …

Instagram pauses plans to develop app for kids under 13
3 years, 2 months ago

Instagram pauses plans to develop app for kids under 13

Al Jazeera  

The pause gives the photo-sharing app a chance to listen to concerns of parents and lawmakers and respond accordingly, Instagram’s chief said on Monday. Development plans for Instagram Kids are on hold for now, the photo-sharing app’s chief announced on Monday, after The Wall Street Journal reported in a series of investigative articles that Facebook is aware that Instagram is …

Instagram says social media’s effect on people mental health “mixed”
3 years, 3 months ago

Instagram says social media’s effect on people mental health “mixed”

The Hindu  

Internal researchers at Facebook-owned Instagram have found the app poses serious mental health danger to many teen girls, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, citing internal company documents. The image-sharing platform added that social media’s impact on the wellbeing of people is “mixed” and depends on the state of mind when people use it. According to the company’s …

Facebook has known for a year and a half that Instagram is bad for teens despite claiming otherwise
3 years, 3 months ago

Facebook has known for a year and a half that Instagram is bad for teens despite claiming otherwise

Firstpost  

Facebook’s policy of pursuing profits regardless of documented harm has sparked comparisons to Big Tobacco, which knew in the 1950s that its products were carcinogenic but publicly denied it into the 21st century Lexington, US: Facebook officials had internal research in March 2020 showing that Instagram the social media platform most used by adolescents is harmful to teen girls’ body …

Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, company documents show
3 years, 3 months ago

Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for teen girls, company documents show

Live Mint  

About a year ago, teenager Anastasia Vlasova started seeing a therapist. “Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse," the researchers said in a March 2020 slide presentation posted to Facebook’s internal message board, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “Teens told us that they don’t like the amount …

Facebook knows Instagram is harmful to teen girls: WSJ
3 years, 3 months ago

Facebook knows Instagram is harmful to teen girls: WSJ

Al Jazeera  

Documents seen by The Wall Street Journal show that Facebook knows Instagram is toxic for young girls, which strays from the tech giant’s public position on the matter. For the last three years, Facebook has studied how its Instagram photo-sharing app affects the mental health of its millions of young users, and the firm’s researchers have repeatedly found that Instagram …

Facebook and Instagram ban inappropriate ads for young people, after data harvesting revealed by ABC
3 years, 4 months ago

Facebook and Instagram ban inappropriate ads for young people, after data harvesting revealed by ABC

ABC  

Facebook and Instagram have toughened the rules on advertising targeting children after research revealed they were profiling teenagers interested in vaping, alcohol and extreme weight loss. Key points: Facebook was allowing advertisers to target children who were interested in alcohol, vaping and extreme weight loss Advocates say the changes don't go far enough and there's still a need for new …

Parents To Facebook: Don't Make A Kid-Only Instagram, Just A Better Instagram
3 years, 6 months ago

Parents To Facebook: Don't Make A Kid-Only Instagram, Just A Better Instagram

NPR  

Parents To Facebook: Don't Make A Kid-Only Instagram, Just A Better Instagram Enlarge this image toggle caption Rick Bowmer/AP Rick Bowmer/AP Social media companies prohibit kids under 13 from signing up because of federal privacy law. Parents say struggles with social apps start at early age Parents say Zuckerberg is right: many kids are going on social media, despite the …

Why Instagram for kids is being criticised by lawmakers and child rights groups
3 years, 7 months ago

Why Instagram for kids is being criticised by lawmakers and child rights groups

The Hindu  

Facebook-owned Instagram is said to be working on a separate app for children under 13, BuzzFeed News reported in March. Most recently, a group of U.S. lawmakers urged Facebook to not to create an Instagram service for children as it could potentially harm their physical and mental well-being. Facebook was on the edge of violating the Children’s Online Privacy and …

Abandon Instagram for kids plan, U.S. states urge Facebook
3 years, 7 months ago

Abandon Instagram for kids plan, U.S. states urge Facebook

The Hindu  

U.S. officials representing 44 states and territories on Monday urged Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg to abandon plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. According to the officials, use of social media can be detrimental to the health and well-being of children, who are not equipped to navigate the challenges of having a social …

Keep kids under 13 off Instagram, advocacy group tells Zuckerberg
3 years, 8 months ago

Keep kids under 13 off Instagram, advocacy group tells Zuckerberg

Al Jazeera  

A non-profit called on Facebook’s chief to cancel plans to launch an Instagram platform for preteen kids. An advocacy group on Thursday urged Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg to cancel plans to launch a version of the popular photo-sharing app Instagram for children under 13, saying that it would put the preteens at “great risk”. “Instagram, in particular, exploits …

Facebook may soon launch Instagram for kids under the age of 13
3 years, 9 months ago

Facebook may soon launch Instagram for kids under the age of 13

India Today  

Facebook is working on a new version of Instagram that would be only for kids who are aged under 13. Instagram introduced new policies which would make it difficult for adult users to get in touch with a young user if he is being followed by the young user. “I’m excited to announce that going forward, we have identified youth …

Instagram Introduces Safety Prompts for Teenage Users, Adults Can No Longer DM Teens Who Don't Follow Them
3 years, 9 months ago

Instagram Introduces Safety Prompts for Teenage Users, Adults Can No Longer DM Teens Who Don't Follow Them

News 18  

Instagram is becoming a safer platform for young users. The Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform has banned adults from direct messaging teenagers who don’t follow them and is introducing “safety prompts” that will be shown to teens when they send a message to adults who have been “exhibiting potentially suspicious behaviour.” Safety prompts will give teenagers the option of reporting or blocking …

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