Jan 25 (Reuters) – Meta Platforms is building more safeguards to protect teen users from unwanted direct messages on Instagram and Facebook, the social media platform said on Thursday.
The move comes weeks after the WhatsApp owner said it would hide more content from teens after regulators pushed the world’s most popular social media network to protect children from harmful content on its apps.
The regulatory scrutiny increased following testimony in the U.S. Senate by a former Meta employee who alleged the company was aware of harassment and other harm facing teens on its platforms but failed to act against them.
Meta said teens will no longer get direct messages from anyone they do not follow or are not connected to on Instagram by default. They will also require parental approval to change certain settings on the app.
On Messenger, accounts of users under 16 and below 18 in some countries will only receive messages from Facebook friends or people they are connected through phone contacts.
Adults over the age of 19 cannot message teens who don’t follow them, Meta added.
The world’s leading cruise operators are reporting strong earnings despite rising fuel prices, but Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line are taking different approaches to ...
Shell more than doubled its adjusted profits in the third quarter as disruption linked to the Middle East conflict drove up oil and gas prices and tightened global fuel supplies.
The ...
Updated 1120
Malta’s economy shows mixed signals as property market slows
Malta’s economy is showing mixed signs, with strong tourism spending and consumer confidence contrasting w...
Updated 1140
Malta Marks 105 Years of Parliamentary History with Commemorative Plaque: Malta’s Parliament has commemorated 105 years of parliamentary history with the unveiling of a p...
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
The world’s leading cruise operators are reporting strong earnings despite rising fuel prices, but Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line are taking different approaches to ...
Shell more than doubled its adjusted profits in the third quarter as disruption linked to the Middle East conflict drove up oil and gas prices and tightened global fuel supplies.
The ...
What began last year as a blood donation initiative involving six companies is expanding into a broader corporate effort, with three additional companies joining this...
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving up the boardroom agenda, raising an important question for non-executive directors: are boards equipped to oversee the transformation AI is brin...
Malta will host a high-level gathering of European healthcare leaders on 26 November, as the inaugural HekaTech Health 2026 conference brings together policymakers, regulators, industry ...
GO plc has become an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect Partner, making it the only Maltese entity confirmed to hold the designation and giving local businesses a private, resilien...
Fears of renewed escalation gripped the Middle East on Wednesday after the United States and Iran exchanged their biggest barrage since July, with Washington striking Iran's southern co...
President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he had called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran, saying renewed negotiations had raised hopes of easing the conflict and reopening ship...
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
Ukraine said Thursday it struck a Russian oil refinery and damaged six Russian warplanes at an airfield, resuming attacks on Russian energy infrastructure after President Volodymyr Zelen...
Ukrainian drones hit Russia's biggest data centre, owned by the country's largest bank and technology company, Sberbank, but did not disrupt its operations, a senior company executive ...
