Meta has initiated to stop cyberbullying on Facebook and Instagram and delete accounts of Facebook and WhatsApp users under the age of 13. Facebook’s South Asia Safety Manager Priyanka Bala conveyed this information at a virtual press conference held on Tuesday (May 9, 2023) with selected media representatives. At that time several staff members from Singapore and Sri Lanka were involved.
Priyanka claimed, ‘We have developed various features and tools by working with experts in various fields including mental health, child psychology, and digital literacy.’
Meta informed its attitude after the government and regulatory agencies took a strict stance on Facebook in the country, especially, after the recent warning made by Mustafa Jabbar, the Posts and Telecommunications Minister of Bangladesh.
In the press conference, Priyanka said that before opening an account on Facebook and Instagram, the age of the user must be 13. If the account of a person below the minimum age limit is found, the authorities will immediately delete it.
However, when asked about the age limit verification process, the organization did not give any clear idea.
Priyanka, however, said in the discussion, if someone below 18 years wants to change their age to above 18 years, they have to verify their age by uploading their identity card or recording a video selfie. At the same time, parents can access the ‘Family Center’ to setup the tool with their teen. As a result, they can monitor their child’s activities on Instagram.
Priyanka also said, ‘From February 1, advertisers can only use age and location to reach teenagers. We have removed gender from the list of targeting options. Also removed interest and other options last year. By age and location we can ensure that teens are seeing age-appropriate ads. It also ensures that advertisements of products and services available around their location reach them. Also, teenagers’ previous engagement, likes on Instagram posts or Facebook pages, has no effect on the ads they see.’
It may be noted that, from 2021, anyone under the age of 16 can join Instagram and their account becomes a ‘private account’. When minors open a new account on Facebook, their account is given the ‘Friends’ option. Their account doesn’t have ‘Public’ option. As a result, if they post a picture or post, not everyone can see it. Only friends added to their profile can see it. If a minor wants to share something with the ‘Public’ option, he has to go to the settings and enable the option. At the same time Facebook also informs the meaning of sharing them as ‘public’.