Meta’s new parental tools will not protect vulnerable children, experts say

Tech firm gives parents greater control over their children's online activities, but not all kids have consistent supervision

Social media giant Meta this week introduced new parental supervision tools, but child protection and anti-sex trafficking organizations say the new measures offer little protection to the children most vulnerable to exploitation, and divert the responsibility from the company to keep its users safe.

On Tuesday, Meta launched new features aimed at increasing parents' awareness of their children's activities on its platforms. For Messenger, its private message service, parents can now view and receive updates on their child's contacts list and monitor who views any stories their child posts. On Instagram, the company has introduced a new notice to alert parents if their child has blocked somebody.