Arrr, Matey! Meta's new Facebook parental controls be showin' that social media still be shirkin' their responsibilities, ye scallywags!
2023-07-03
Arrr, these newfound parental controls be somewhat better than naught, methinks - yet Meta be needin' a heave-ho to improve!
Social media giant Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is introducing new features aimed at addressing concerns about the impact of social media on young minds. These features include parental supervision tools and privacy features. However, there are concerns that many of these new features require the child's choice to opt in, which may limit their effectiveness.One of the new features is that Instagram will now notify a child after they have blocked someone and encourage them to involve their parents in supervising their account. While some children may choose not to opt in, those who do will allow their parents to impose a time limit, monitor their followers and who they follow, and track their usage time. However, message content will remain private and encrypted.
Meta claims that these features are a compromise to make discussions about online safety easier between parents and their children, striking a balance between teen safety and autonomy. These new features join existing parental supervision tools and resources implemented by Meta. The exact scale of engagement with these features is not yet known, as Meta has not disclosed the number of under-18 users who have opted in.
Critics argue that these features are only beneficial to families who are already communicative and involved in their children's social media usage. They also raise concerns that social media platforms are evolving rapidly, making it difficult for parents, who may not have time to fully understand every new development and its impact on their child's psychological development.
The critics argue that fundamental issues related to social media's impact on mental health are being left unaddressed and are being left for parents to figure out. They also point out that many of these features require children to activate them, assuming a level of knowledge and self-control that is not always present in adults.
Overall, the psychological problems caused by social media affect various age groups, with children being particularly vulnerable. Social media companies must balance their desire to keep users engaged with their responsibility to protect vulnerable users. Ultimately, the responsibility for staying safe online lies with the users themselves.