Meta Introduces Stricter Safety Tools Amid Criticism and Legal Action

New measures aim to protect minors from online sexual exploitation, but the company faces a lawsuit accusing it of facilitating such abuse.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is introducing stricter safety tools to block children from receiving and sending nude images, and to prevent minors from receiving messages from strangers.
These changes are in response to criticism from the government and police, as well as a rise in sexual offenses committed by children in England and Wales, and allegations of daily sexual harassment of teenage users on Meta's platforms.
Meta's new safety tools will be available on both Facebook and Instagram, and will also be active in encrypted messages.
Parents and guardians will have increased control over the safety and privacy settings of their teens’ Instagram accounts, with changes now requiring parental approval.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has filed a complaint against Meta, accusing the company of facilitating and profiting off of the online solicitation, trafficking and sexual abuse of children.