Meta rolls out automated safety controls for teen accounts

Meta rolls out automated safety controls for teen accounts

Meta hosted the 2026 Youth Online Safety Summit this week. Social media company Meta has deployed a mandatory system update that automatically shifts teenage user profiles into highly restricted safety configurations. According to Meta, the backend product overhaul – known as “Teen Accounts” – structurally reshapes data visibility, privacy configurations and messaging access defaults across…

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Meta gives Australian kids 2-week warning to delete accounts as world-first social media age restrictions loom

Meta gives Australian kids 2-week warning to delete accounts as world-first social media age restrictions loom

Melbourne, Australia — Technology giant Meta on Thursday began sending thousands of young Australians a two-week warning to downland their digital histories and delete their accounts from Facebook, Instagram and Threads before a world-first social media ban on accounts of children younger than 16 takes effect. The Australian government announced two weeks ago that the three…

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Africa: Over 100 million more people were reached with digital accounts, as global momentum builds

Africa: Over 100 million more people were reached with digital accounts, as global momentum builds

Brussels, 21 July 2025 – The Better Than Cash Alliance, hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its Sustainable Finance Hub, supported its members in enabling digital payments for more than 100 million people in 2024. This milestone marks major progress in advancing financial inclusion, especially for women, with 82% of advisory services…

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Meta closes child abuse accounts after SA court order

Meta closes child abuse accounts after SA court order

Possessing, distributing or creating child sexual abuse material is illegal. Meta has shut down several WhatsApp and Instagram accounts in compliance with a court order over sexually explicit content being shared via the social media channel. The Facebook parent company says it will continue to engage with law enforcement over the use of its apps…

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