Threads introduces parental supervision tools for teen accounts
8 reported
Meta announced on Tuesday that it is bringing parental supervision tools to its Threads platform. The new features allow parents and guardians to monitor their teen’s time on the app, set daily time limits, adjust sleep mode, and manage privacy settings through Meta’s Family Center. The rollout follows increased pressure from regulators and lawmakers to better protect young users online. Meta has been expanding parental controls across its apps in recent years and is now applying similar measures to Threads, which has 500 million monthly users. The tools arrive three years after Threads launched in July 2023. The controls will roll out next week in the U.S., with a global expansion planned by the end of the year, according to a Meta spokesperson.
What’s reported
Meta announced parental supervision tools for Threads on Tuesday.
Parents can view a teen’s daily time spent on Threads for the past week, including average daily time.
Parents can set a daily time limit and block access during select days and hours; the limit applies across multiple devices.
Parents can limit or block access at night; notifications are muted and auto-replies are on by default for all teens from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Parents can control who can tag their teen in posts.
Teens on Threads already have built-in protections like private accounts and content limits; parents can now decide if teens under 16 can change these settings to be less strict.
The controls roll out next week in the U.S., with global expansion planned by the end of the year.
Meta faces numerous lawsuits related to child safety alongside other social media companies.
Key figures
Meta (company)
TechCrunch (source outlet)
A Meta spokesperson (unnamed)
Sources: TechCrunch
