It might not be the most exciting topic to cover, but it’s an equally important one since it has to do with keeping kids safe online. This week, as part of Safer Internet Day, Meta just published this overview of its various tools and processes designed to protect teen users in its apps. There is a heap of important insights here, so it’s worth at least checking out.

Safety Net

To its credit, Meta has made a lot of progress on this front and continues to develop newer initiatives, such as improved age detection and customizable user experiences. It might be a minor consideration on most major social platforms, but it should be treated with a bit more gravity, especially when you consider that the number of younger users signing up or opening an account is increasing.

While it’s impossible to safeguard your kids against every potential danger online, there are resources that you can use to better educate, inform, and ideally protect your youngsters as they start spending more time online. On that note, this is more an announcement than it is an update. You can check out Meta’s full list of tools and youth protection functions here.

It’s quite impressive when you see that Meta has a rather extensive selection of control options. Their overview even segments all the tool categories to make it easier for users to seek out the specific options they want to check out. Meta identifies six major categories:

  • Parental Supervision

  • Safeguards for Teens

  • Age Verification and Detection

  • Privacy

  • Tools for Teens

  • Age-Appropriate Ads

Again, there’s quite a bit here, which does make us wonder if other platforms are also making as much effort to refine their protection options. Meta also mentions its Family Center Education Hub and Safety Center, which are essentially portals that provide users with different kinds of information and resources that touch on Meta’s family experience and its various safety approaches and processes.

The Wrap

To summarize, there’s quite a bit to check out. While there might not be as much insight with regard to engagement and reach, there’s an immeasurable amount of insight when gauging the efficiency of online safety precautions that are in place. Looking at the broader picture, this is an important element to consider because the most popular apps right now also tend to amplify and favor either divisive content or just plain harmful ones. The online experience doesn’t have to be boring while being safe.

Sources

http://bit.ly/3InJupP