Meta introduces “Family Center” for more youth protection

For many parents, the sometimes excessive use of social networks by their children is a red rag. Meta has introduced a new control feature to give mothers and fathers more control. In addition to Instagram, this also affects the VR application Oculus and is initially available exclusively in the US.

More control for parents

To give parents more handholding over their children’s social media use, Meta has taken a right and important step. With the introduction of the so-called “Family Center”, more access should be possible. The whole thing is now possible for parents of Instagram users between the ages of 13 and 18. Soon, the feature will also be extended to Oculus, Meta’s VR application. Meta emphasizes in this regard that it has consulted youth protectors, guardians, but also children and young people themselves. The goal of the initiative is to “develop intuitive monitoring tools. What sounds so lofty is intended to serve a very simple purpose.

Children and young people should not be able to get into mischief on social media completely on their own. It should not only be possible to monitor or regulate the duration of use. Parents should be able to see what their child has been up to in the social networks via the Family Center. The scope of functions cannot be guessed at the moment. Meta itself promises that the range of features will be expanded at the same time as the worldwide release. The Family Center should be available globally before the end of the year. Accordingly, the current release in the USA seems to be more of a dress rehearsal of the program.

This looks familiar

Let’s not kid ourselves. Meta is by no means reinventing the wheel with its Family Center. Quite the contrary. We already know similar features from other big names in the tech industry. First and foremost, search engine giant Google offers a kind of control unit for parents. The almost similar-sounding Family Link feature makes it possible, for example, to control YouTube consumption and, above all, to regulate the time. Meta apparently has similar plans for its Family Center. Here, too, it is supposed to be possible to limit the use of Instagram and later also Oculus. But that is not all. If you do not set a limit, you will at least be able to see how much time your children have spent on social media.

However, the most exciting thing is certainly the fact that parents can now see which profiles their child follows. Even followers of the child itself can be viewed, according to Meta. So that parents can pull the ripcord if the worst comes to the worst, there is also a notification when the child reports another profile. The individual components of the Family Center are optional. Particularly with older children or teenagers, it should be possible to find a middle ground that does not interfere too much with the teenagers’ privacy.

Special educational program for parents

But Meta clearly doesn’t just want to give parents more leverage in controlling their children’s online activities. On top of that, guardians can draw exciting information from the Family Center. Meta talks about embedding a so-called education center. Here they can get expert opinions and tips. In particular, a healthy approach to social media for children and young people is to play a major role. But Meta also wants to convey the right communication between the child and the parents here.

Control for Oculus will be added

At least in the U.S., it should not only be possible to control Instagram. Meta would also like to introduce a control option for the use of Oculus. In particular, young users of the Oculus Quest should then face a little more monitoring by their parents. By the way, this will only affect US users for the time being. After all, the first generation of the VR headset cannot be bought here. The soon-to-be-released second generation will probably not find its way into German stores either. The reason for this is the conflicting German data protection law. After all, the use of the Oculus is compulsorily linked to an existing Facebook account.

The purpose of integrating the Oculus service is certainly the protection of minors. Parents should be able to set which content is suitable for their child and which is not via the Family Center. In addition, time limits can probably be set here as well. If the time limit is exceeded, the Oculus simply cannot be unlocked anymore. Speaking of which. According to Meta, it also wants to introduce new unlocking methods. Regardless of the settings in the Family Center, Meta itself also wants to provide more protection for minors. Thus, as of May this year, it should no longer be possible to download certain apps that are not considered suitable for children or young people.

Meta takes criticism to heart

Meta’s change of heart is no accident, of course. On the one hand, there is the criticism from youth protection associations and parents with regard to the VR glasses. Many children and young people are said to have had no problem downloading applications that are simply not age-appropriate. Here, the tech company already wants to take the first steps in the direction of the planned metaverse. After all, it is important to ensure that children and young people do not see any disturbing content. However, there was criticism not only with regard to Meta’s VR glasses. Instagram is also still a red rag for many child and youth protectors.

After all, quite a few young people drift into a real addiction to the social network. Here, too, Meta wants to have reacted sufficiently. The app now regularly reminds users to take a break. Pressure also came from the very top in this regard. After all, the U.S. Senate in particular dealt with the issue after the Wall Street Journal brought juicy details to light. During his questioning before the US Senate, Instagram CEO Mosseri unceremoniously turned the tables. In his view, there must be uniform mechanisms that ensure reliable age verification. Only suitable standards that apply to everyone could provide good protection.

In front of the Senate, the CEO was even more talkative. He also called for more rights for children and young people when it comes to their own data. He said that they should also be given the opportunity to delete their data. When it went into detail, however, it became clear again where Instagram or Meta sets its priorities. The tech company does not want to do without AI-based advertising at all. After all, it is precisely the sophisticated algorithms that create the opportunity for companies to advertise effectively on the platform. However, he did reveal a slight change in trend. He argued that the possibilities of targeted advertising should at least be somewhat limited. This would be really important, especially with regard to young users.