By Rosemary Etim Bassey
Meta, the company behind Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, has introduced more safety features to help teenagers enjoy a safer online experience.
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The announcement was made on Thursday at the Nigeria Youth Safety Summit held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. The event, organised by Meta in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, brought together government officials, parents, teachers, content creators and youth leaders to discuss how young people can stay safe while using social media.
A major highlight of the summit was Teen Accounts, a special feature designed for teenagers using Meta’s apps. The accounts come with built-in safety settings that are automatically switched on to help protect young users online.
Some of these features include private accounts by default, stricter messaging settings, limits on who can tag or mention teens, restrictions on sensitive content, reminders to take a break after 60 minutes of daily use, and a sleep mode that mutes notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
For teenagers under the age of 16, parents must approve any changes to make these safety settings less strict.
Speaking at the summit, Meta’s Head of Safety Policy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Sylvia Musalagani, said the company is committed to creating age-appropriate online spaces where teenagers can safely learn, connect and express themselves.
“Our goal is to provide teens with safe online experiences while giving parents the tools they need to support them,” she said.
Meta also showcased new parental supervision tools that allow parents to play a more active role in their children’s online activities. These tools let parents receive notifications when their teenager reports harmful content, monitor the people they message, set daily time limits for Instagram, and schedule screen-free periods during the day or at night.
The summit also featured discussions with parents, educators and digital creators on the importance of teaching children responsible internet use. A special session for parents focused on practical ways to guide young people as they spend more time online.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said protecting children online is a shared responsibility involving parents, government and technology companies.
She stressed that while digital platforms should provide safety tools, parents also have an important role in guiding their children and helping them make safe choices on the internet.
Also speaking, Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande said digital skills and online safety must go hand in hand. He encouraged Meta to make its educational resources available to more young Nigerians so they can learn how to stay safe while using the internet.
The summit ended with a call for stronger collaboration among families, schools, government agencies and technology companies to ensure that young people can enjoy the benefits of the digital world without putting their safety at risk.
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