Disclosure: #Sponsored This post is a sponsored post in collaboration with Meta. While I attend sponsored events to share my experiences on my blog, all reviews and opinions expressed here are my own. #MetaPartner #InstagramScreenSmart
I was invited to attend the Meta Screen Smart Event here in Sacramento, and I learned so much. If you are a parent, have teens, or soon-to-be teens, you know that navigating social media and tech can be scary, challenging, and uncharted territory for many.
Thank you, Instagram Meta, for inviting me to your Screen Smart Event. I have four sons, three of them are teenagers. As a parent I know we all have concerns about who our teens are talking to online, the content they’re seeing, and whether their screen time is balanced.
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I’m grateful Meta is making it easier for parents to manage and supervise their teens’ (ages 13+) experiences across Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger by consolidating the parental tools in Family Center. You can learn more about resources for you and your teen by visiting Meta’s Family Center at meta.me/screensmart.
Our sons are ages 18, 16, 14, and 10, in parenting I've learned that they are all different and unique; one may need more guidance and boundaries than another. Family conversations about the pros and cons of social media needs to be an ongoing conversation. As parents, we must be willing to adjust to each season that our child is in.
At the Screen Smart event, they had a panel of speakers, Kira Wong O'Connor, who discussed Youth Safety Policies. Dr. Cara Natterson, Pediatrician, Best Selling Author, and Co-Host of the This is So Awkward podcast, and Kristin Hendrix the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Trust and Safety, discussed Raising Screen Smart teens, and navigating today's digital world.
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I loved and so appreciated Dr. Cara Natterson sharing about parenting. She shared that kids actually feel loved and safer with limits and guidance; they see it as an expression of love and care. I also loved her recommendation to have open dialogue and encouraged us to ask open-ended questions to our kids, leading with curiosity and no judgment. She also encouraged us as parents to be the example and model the behavior we want our teens to have. I know I need to be better at setting my found down and having time limits even with social media being my job, my kids need to see me setting limits and boundaries too.
I'm sure you know and have seen countless stories of the impact of one's digital footprint. It is important to have that conversation with our kids; there is a long-term impact on what we post, share, comment, and even like on social media.
I also loved the reminder that social media should enhance what we experience and see, not be the only thing we experience and see. It is important in this tech and social media world we live in to remind our teens that there is life off-line. This event was very informative and helpful, and as parents, I think it's important that we share with one another what has worked for us and what hasn't, with no judgment. Know each family is different, each child is different, what one requires another might not, but we can all learn from each other. I love learning tips from parents who have already raised their teens, and parents in the thick of it. We can all help each other.
Instagram knows parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences. To address parents’ concerns, Instagram introduced Teen Accounts in 2024, a protected experience for teens, ages 13+. Teens on Instagram are automatically placed in Teen Accounts, which have built-in limits on who can contact them and the content they see, and more ways to connect and explore their interests. I love that this takes place automatically and parents don't have to do anything.
Teen Account protections are designed to address parents’ biggest concerns, including who their teens are talking to online, the content they’re seeing, and whether their time is being well spent. These protections are turned on automatically, and parent permission is required if teens under 16 can change any of these settings to be less strict.
Last fall, Instagram announced that it’s revamping the Teen Account experience so that it now shows content that’s appropriate for ages 13+, inspired by movie rating criteria and parent feedback. This means that Instagram’s goal is for teens to see content on Instagram that’s similar to what they’d see in an age-appropriate movie by default. For parents who want even more control, Instagram offers an additional, even more stricter setting called Limited Content. If teens want to change their default setting to see 18+ content, they can work with a parent or guardian to do so. This is the most significant update to Teen Accounts yet, designed to ensure teens can have age-appropriate experiences while exploring their interests online.
Starting Tuesday, May 12, Meta is making it easier for parents to manage and supervise their teens’ experiences across Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger by consolidating the parental tools in Family Center. They are also giving parents new insights to better understand their teens’ algorithm on Instagram and the topics that shape it.
They are also giving parents in supervision new insights to better understand their teen’s algorithm on Instagram and the topics that shape it.
Parents will have broader visibility into those general interest categories their teen selected so they can stay informed and have meaningful conversations with their teen about the content they’re seeing.
I highly recommend you visit the Meta Family Center they have so many tools and resources. Learn more about resources for you & your teen by visiting Meta’s Family Center.
Meta Screen Smart
Meta Screen Smart
Disclosure: #Sponsored This post is a sponsored post in collaboration with Meta. While I attend sponsored events to share my experiences on my blog, all reviews and opinions expressed here are my own. #MetaPartner #InstagramScreenSmart
I was invited to attend the Meta Screen Smart Event here in Sacramento, and I learned so much. If you are a parent, have teens, or soon-to-be teens, you know that navigating social media and tech can be scary, challenging, and uncharted territory for many.
Thank you, Instagram Meta, for inviting me to your Screen Smart Event. I have four sons, three of them are teenagers. As a parent I know we all have concerns about who our teens are talking to online, the content they’re seeing, and whether their screen time is balanced.
I’m grateful Meta is making it easier for parents to manage and supervise their teens’ (ages 13+) experiences across Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger by consolidating the parental tools in Family Center. You can learn more about resources for you and your teen by visiting Meta’s Family Center at meta.me/screensmart.
Our sons are ages 18, 16, 14, and 10, in parenting I've learned that they are all different and unique; one may need more guidance and boundaries than another. Family conversations about the pros and cons of social media needs to be an ongoing conversation. As parents, we must be willing to adjust to each season that our child is in.
At the Screen Smart event, they had a panel of speakers, Kira Wong O'Connor, who discussed Youth Safety Policies. Dr. Cara Natterson, Pediatrician, Best Selling Author, and Co-Host of the This is So Awkward podcast, and Kristin Hendrix the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Trust and Safety, discussed Raising Screen Smart teens, and navigating today's digital world.
I loved and so appreciated Dr. Cara Natterson sharing about parenting. She shared that kids actually feel loved and safer with limits and guidance; they see it as an expression of love and care. I also loved her recommendation to have open dialogue and encouraged us to ask open-ended questions to our kids, leading with curiosity and no judgment. She also encouraged us as parents to be the example and model the behavior we want our teens to have. I know I need to be better at setting my found down and having time limits even with social media being my job, my kids need to see me setting limits and boundaries too.
I'm sure you know and have seen countless stories of the impact of one's digital footprint. It is important to have that conversation with our kids; there is a long-term impact on what we post, share, comment, and even like on social media.
I also loved the reminder that social media should enhance what we experience and see, not be the only thing we experience and see. It is important in this tech and social media world we live in to remind our teens that there is life off-line. This event was very informative and helpful, and as parents, I think it's important that we share with one another what has worked for us and what hasn't, with no judgment. Know each family is different, each child is different, what one requires another might not, but we can all learn from each other. I love learning tips from parents who have already raised their teens, and parents in the thick of it. We can all help each other.
Instagram knows parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences. To address parents’ concerns, Instagram introduced Teen Accounts in 2024, a protected experience for teens, ages 13+. Teens on Instagram are automatically placed in Teen Accounts, which have built-in limits on who can contact them and the content they see, and more ways to connect and explore their interests. I love that this takes place automatically and parents don't have to do anything.
Teen Account protections are designed to address parents’ biggest concerns, including who their teens are talking to online, the content they’re seeing, and whether their time is being well spent. These protections are turned on automatically, and parent permission is required if teens under 16 can change any of these settings to be less strict.
Last fall, Instagram announced that it’s revamping the Teen Account experience so that it now shows content that’s appropriate for ages 13+, inspired by movie rating criteria and parent feedback. This means that Instagram’s goal is for teens to see content on Instagram that’s similar to what they’d see in an age-appropriate movie by default. For parents who want even more control, Instagram offers an additional, even more stricter setting called Limited Content. If teens want to change their default setting to see 18+ content, they can work with a parent or guardian to do so. This is the most significant update to Teen Accounts yet, designed to ensure teens can have age-appropriate experiences while exploring their interests online.
Starting Tuesday, May 12, Meta is making it easier for parents to manage and supervise their teens’ experiences across Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger by consolidating the parental tools in Family Center. They are also giving parents new insights to better understand their teens’ algorithm on Instagram and the topics that shape it.
They are also giving parents in supervision new insights to better understand their teen’s algorithm on Instagram and the topics that shape it.
Parents will have broader visibility into those general interest categories their teen selected so they can stay informed and have meaningful conversations with their teen about the content they’re seeing.
I highly recommend you visit the Meta Family Center they have so many tools and resources. Learn more about resources for you & your teen by visiting Meta’s Family Center.