The parent companies of Facebook/Instagram/Messenger and TikTok, respectively, are announcing a set of new tools aimed at not exposing minors to inappropriate content and controlling their screen time.
Faced with the barrage of criticism and accusations they face, Meta and ByteDance focus on data and user security. Meta announces the creation of the Family Center, “resources and expert advice to help you frame your teens’ online experiences with home tech.” Mark Zuckerberg’s company has long sought to create the most addictive services possible. Now that she’s been singled out for her questionable handling of information from her youngest users (and others), the social network seeks to improve its image brand.
Facebook is accused of selling off users’ personal information and data security and fostering “digital ill-being” by encouraging people to stay longer in the company’s apps. Worse still, the social network, by its laxity, would feed misinformation. To remedy this, the company now offers tools for “parental supervision in Messenger, so parents can see how teens are spending their time and with whom they interact on Messenger” and in the direct messages on instagram.
TikTok wants to restore its image by offering parental monitoring tools
TikTok also suffers from a poor image. The Chinese social network ByteDance is accused of “perverting” young minds and some states suspect the social network of being a tool of espionage for the benefit of Beijing. The platform benefits from a major improvement in its functionality Family Connection : there possibility for parents to add terms to filter content offered to their child.
However, this is not to censor the teen thread, since by default, children will be able to see the keywords added by their guardian. For TikTok, “ this transparency can help spark conversations about boundaries and online safety “. All these tools are already available to you, while Messenger’s monitoring features should only be available in France in the coming weeks.
