Key Takeaways
- Meta adds parental supervision tools to Threads.
- Parents can monitor screen time and set limits.
- Global rollout expected by the end of the year.
New Features for Parental Oversight
Meta has announced the introduction of parental supervision tools on Threads, aimed at helping parents and guardians manage their teens’ activity on the platform. This new feature allows adults to track how much time their children spend on Threads, set daily usage limits, and adjust privacy settings through the Family Center.
Response to Regulatory Pressure
The decision to implement these tools comes amid increasing pressure from regulators and lawmakers for better protection of young users online. Meta has been expanding parental controls across its platforms in response to concerns about excessive screen time and online safety. Threads, which boasts 500 million monthly users, is the latest platform to receive these enhancements.
Monitoring and Control Options
With the new tools, parents can view their teen’s daily usage over the past week, including average time spent. They can set specific time limits and restrict access during certain hours. If a teen uses Threads on multiple devices, the time limit will apply to the total usage across those devices.
Parents can also block access to Threads at night, with notifications muted and auto-replies activated by default from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Additionally, they can control who can tag their teen in posts.
Existing Protections and Future Plans
Teens on Threads already benefit from built-in protections like private accounts and content restrictions. However, parents now have the authority to decide if teens under 16 can modify these settings. The parental supervision tools are set to roll out in the U.S. next week, with a global launch planned by the end of the year.