Meta’s New Measures to Protect Teens from Sextortion

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is taking big steps to help keep its young users safe from harmful content, especially sextortion. Sextortion is a serious crime where scammers trick people into sharing intimate images, then threaten to share them unless they get what they want. This can be very scary for teens. In response, Meta is rolling out new features and safety measures to protect them.

Stricter Controls for Teen Accounts

One of the main changes is stricter controls on who can follow and message teen accounts on Instagram and Facebook. This means that only people that teens know can reach out to them. This is a good way to keep out strangers who might want to harm them.

Meta will also send safety notices in Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger. These notices will alert teens when they are chatting with someone who may be in a different country, which can help them be more careful. This is important because many scammers pretend to be someone they are not to trick teens.

Meta's New Measures to Protect Teens from Sextortion
PHOTO SOURCE SOCIAL MEDIA

Protecting Follower Lists

Another important step is that scammers will be restricted from viewing follower lists and interactions. This means that they cannot see who a teen follows or who follows them. This makes it harder for scammers to target their victims by gathering information.

Screenshot Restrictions

Meta is also putting limits on cyber crooks’ ability to take screenshots of private messages. This means that if someone sends a sensitive image in a direct message, the other person cannot easily take a screenshot to save or share it. This is a big help in protecting private conversations and images.

Nudity Protection Feature

There is also a new nudity protection feature being rolled out. This feature uses on-device machine learning to analyze images in Instagram’s direct messages. If a potential nude image is detected, it will be blurred. This way, teens are warned before they send or share sensitive content. This is a great way to encourage them to think twice before sharing such images.

Meta's New Measures to Protect Teens from Sextortion
PHOTO SOURCE SOCIAL MEDIA

Educational Video for Teens

To help teens understand the dangers of sextortion, Instagram will show a video in their feeds. This video will teach them how to spot sextortion scams. It will highlight red flags, such as:

  • Someone who comes on too strong
  • Requests to exchange photos
  • Attempts to move conversations to other apps

By knowing these signs, teens can better protect themselves from scammers.

Rising Problem of Sextortion

There has been a dramatic rise in sextortion cases. According to the FBI, from October 2021 to March 2023, they identified about 12,600 victims in the U.S. Sadly, some cases even involved suicides. This shows how serious the problem is, especially among teenage boys, who are often the primary targets.

Meta's New Measures to Protect Teens from Sextortion
PHOTO SOURCE SOCIAL MEDIA

Meta’s Commitment Amid Scrutiny

Meta’s actions come at a time when there is growing scrutiny over how social media affects young users. The company has faced criticism for contributing to a youth mental health crisis. Many believe that social media can lead to issues like depression, addiction, cyberbullying, and eating disorders. By implementing these new measures, Meta aims to show that they are committed to making their platforms safer for everyone, especially teens.

Conclusion

In summary, Meta is taking important actions to protect teens from sextortion. With stricter controls, educational resources, and new safety features, they are working hard to create a safer online environment. It is crucial for teens to stay informed and recognize the signs of sextortion scams. By doing so, they can help protect themselves and their friends from becoming victims.

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