Meta has introduced a range of enhanced online safety features for Nigerian teenagers and parents at the Nigeria Youth Safety Summit held in Abuja, reaffirming its commitment to creating a safer digital environment for young users.
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The summit, hosted at the Transcorp Hilton in partnership with the Federal Ministry of education/">Youth Development, brought together government officials, educators, parents, civil society organisations, digital creators and youth leaders to discuss online safety, digital wellbeing and the role of collaboration in protecting young people on the internet.
During the event, Meta showcased its latest youth safety initiatives, including its Teen Accounts feature, parental supervision tools and digital literacy resources aimed at helping teenagers navigate social media safely while giving parents greater oversight of their children’s online activities.
Speaking at the summit, Meta’s Head of Safety Policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Sylvia Musalagani, said the company remains focused on providing age-appropriate online experiences for teenagers.
According to her, Teen Accounts have been designed with built-in protections that automatically limit unwanted contact, restrict access to sensitive content and encourage healthier digital habits.
“We want teens to explore their interests and express their creativity in a safe environment while giving parents the tools they need to support them online,” she said.
The Teen Accounts feature automatically places users under the age of 18 into private accounts with the strictest messaging settings. It also limits who can tag or mention teenagers, restricts sensitive content, sends daily screen-time reminders after 60 minutes of use and activates Sleep Mode between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Meta added that teenagers under the age of 16 cannot change these safety settings without parental approval.
The company also announced expanded parental supervision tools that allow parents to receive notifications whenever their teenager reports inappropriate content, monitor who their child has been messaging, set daily Instagram time limits, schedule breaks and gain insights into the type of content their teenager interacts with online.
Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, commended the initiative, describing child online safety as a shared responsibility between parents, government and technology companies.
She stressed that children require guidance from informed adults to navigate the digital space safely and praised Meta for providing practical tools that empower families.
Similarly, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the summit aligns with the Federal Government’s efforts to equip young Nigerians with digital skills while protecting them from emerging online threats.
He noted that ensuring online safety requires collaboration among government institutions, schools, parents, technology companies, civil society organisations and young people themselves.
The minister also encouraged Meta to make the educational materials, safety guides and digital learning resources introduced at the summit more accessible to young Nigerians across the country.
The summit featured keynote presentations, panel discussions and a Parents Learn & Brunch session organised in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, where participants shared practical strategies for promoting safer online engagement.
Meta said the summit forms part of its broader efforts to strengthen partnerships, improve digital literacy and advance youth online safety across Nigeria and Africa.
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