Tag: Messenger

Meta expands teen accounts to Facebook and Messenger, critics say more needs to be done – WTOP News

[ad_1]

Meta is expanding teen accounts to Facebook and Messenger. The company said the move is part of its ongoing effort to keep kids safer online.

One year after launching teen accounts for Instagram, Meta is expanding the program to Facebook and Messenger. The company said the move is part of its ongoing effort to keep kids safer online.

With teen accounts, users under 18 are automatically enrolled with built-in protections.

Meta says 97% of teens under 16 are staying within those restrictions.

The company also highlights features such as sleep mode and supervision tools, which let parents set daily time limits and monitor activity.

“Teen accounts are really meant to respond to some of the top concerns that we’ve heard from parents,” Jennifer Hanley, Meta’s North American head of safety policy, told WTOP in September.

The accounts ensure teens under 16 need their parents’ permission to change the restrictions, according to Hanley. Among the offerings are tools that keep kids from engaging on the platforms for long periods.

“After 60 minutes, a teen in the teen account gets a notification encouraging them to leave the platform,” Hanley said.

But not everyone is convinced to tools are helping. A report from Cybersecurity for Democracy labeled 64% of the safety tools “red” because they fell short.

The report’s authors, which included a former Facebook employee, said the tools were rated that way because they were either “no longer available or ineffective.”

The report also warned that teens still encounter harmful “rabbit holes,” including imagery of self-harm.

Hanley said Meta disagrees with the report and pushed back on the findings.

“We’ve been overwhelmingly hearing great things from parents,” she said. “We know that teens are spending less time on our platforms, they’re seeing less sensitive content and they’re having less unwanted contact as a result of being in teen accounts.”

Meta said it remains open to feedback and continues to improve its safety tools.

“We’re always open to constructive feedback,” Hanley said.

PG-13 content guidelines introduced

After the September interview with WTOP, Meta announced an update to teen accounts.

The tech company said Instagram will now guide teen content using PG-13 movie ratings by default. That means content seen by teens will be similar to PG-13 movies and teens won’t be able to opt out without a parent’s permission, according to Meta.

Parents who want more control can choose a stricter setting, Meta said, and they’ll also have new ways to report content they think teens shouldn’t see.

In a blog post, Meta called this “the most significant update” since teen accounts launched, saying it was shaped by feedback from thousands of parents worldwide.

The company also said it will use age prediction technology to place teens into protections even if they lie about their age when signing up.

Meta acknowledged in the post that “no system is perfect,” but said it’s committed to improving and keeping age-inappropriate content away from teens.

Support for schools added

Hanley also said Meta is expanding its efforts to help schools.

Through its School Partnership Program, middle and high schools in the U.S. can sign up to get educational resources and tools to report harmful content more easily. Schools that enroll receive a verified badge and access to expedited content review.

Meta said educators are often in the best position to spot issues such as bullying, and the program is designed to help them flag and address those concerns more effectively.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

[ad_2]

Mike Murillo

Source link

October 21, 2025
Meta is shutting down its desktop Messenger app
[ad_1]
Meta is shutting down its Messenger app for macOS and Windows and pushing users to the web. Meta confirmed over email to Engadget that the app will be fully shutdown on December 15, after which the easiest ways to access Messenger chats when you’re not on your phone will be the Facebook app on Windows, or the Facebook and Messenger websites.

The company hasn’t provided an explanation for why it’s abandoning its desktop Messenger apps, but Meta’s support article does say that users will receive a notification informing them of the shutdown, and will be blocked from accessing the app after December 15.

In order for your chats to be saved going forward, the company says you’ll have to turn on secure storage and add a pin code to your account. To make sure your chats will be archived:
1. Click on the gear icon above your profile picture.
2. Click on Privacy & Safety, and then End-to-end encrypted chats.
3. Click on Message storage, and then make sure Turn on secure storage is toggled on.
Meta officially cut Messenger out of Facebook in 2014 to create a focused messaging experience separate from the tangle of features the social media platform offered at the time. The company later tried to connect Messenger and Instagram Direct Messaging into one communication platform, but backed away from the idea in 2023. Rather than Meta’s interest in messaging suddenly waning, abandoning the desktop apps likely reflects the fact that most people prefer to use the company’s mobile apps or websites.
[ad_2]

Source link
October 16, 2025
Meta rolls out Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger globally | TechCrunch

[ad_1]

Meta announced on Thursday that its Teen Accounts are now being expanded to teens on Facebook and Messenger globally, after initially only being available to users in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. The accounts, which feature built-in protections and parental controls for younger users, first launched on Instagram last fall.

Teen Accounts were originally launched shortly after Meta and other popular social networks were grilled by U.S. lawmakers for not doing enough to protect teens on their services.

With the global expansion on Facebook and Messenger, teens will now automatically be placed into an experience that is designed to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact. Teens under the age of 16 need their parents’ permission to change any of the settings.

Additionally, teens will only receive messages from people they follow or have messaged before. Only teens’ friends can see and reply to their stories. Plus, tags, Mentions, and comments will also be limited to people they follow or who are their friends.

Teens will also receive reminders to leave the social networks after using them for an hour a day, and they’ll be enrolled in “Quiet mode” overnight.

The expansion of Teen Accounts comes as research led by a Meta whistleblower recently found that children and teens are still at risk from online harm on Instagram, even after the company has rolled out protections. The study found that despite being placed into Teen Accounts, young users can still come across suicide and self-harm posts, along with posts describing demeaning sexual acts. Meta has disputed the claims and said its protections have led to teens seeing less harmful content.

Image Credits:Meta

Meta also announced on Thursday that it’s officially launching the School Partnership Program, which allows educators to report safety concerns, like bullying, directly to Instagram for quicker review and removal.

The company says it piloted the program earlier this year and heard positive feedback from participating schools. Now, all middle and high schools in the U.S. can sign up for the program to receive prioritized reporting and education resources. Schools that are part of the program will receive a banner on their Instagram program to notify parents and students that they are an official Instagram partner.

Thursday’s announcement marks Meta’s latest step toward addressing teen mental health concerns tied to social media. These concerns have been raised by the U.S. Surgeon General and several states, some of which have even started restricting teens from using social media without a parent’s consent.

[ad_2]

Aisha Malik

Source link

September 25, 2025
Meta shares how WhatsApp and Messenger will interact with other messaging apps in the EU

[ad_1]

Meta is making changes to WhatsApp and Messenger in order to add interoperability with third-party chat apps — in Europe, that is — and the company is sharing how it would work in a new post. Based on previous reports, Meta started working on enabling third-party chats last year after the rules of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into effect. Under the DMA, “gatekeepers” or the largest companies and platforms in the industry have to ensure interoperability with third parties since they’re prohibited from favoring their own services.

The company said it gathered feedback from potential partners and other stakeholders to help it shape the new experience. To start with, it designed new notifications for WhatsApp and Messenger that would alert users when a third-party service becomes available for integration. Users will be able to choose which third-party apps they want to receive messages from, and they can choose to either get those messages in a separate inbox. Those who don’t mind getting messages alongside their Messenger or WhatsApp chats can choose a combined inbox instead.

The apps will also provide rich messaging features to third-party chats, so they’re not purely a text affair. Users will be able to react to and directly reply to specific messages, see an indicator while the other person is typing and get read receipts. Next year, they’ll be able to create group chats, and in 2027, they can voice and video call their friends on other apps.

“Users will start to see the third-party chat option when a third-party messaging service has built, tested and launched the necessary technology to make the feature a positive and secure user experience,” Meta explained, so not all people’s preferred messaging app will be integrated with WhatsApp and Messenger. The company said, however, that it will keep collaborating with other services to expand its availability.

[ad_2]

Mariella Moon

Source link

September 7, 2024
WaterField’s Shinjuku Messenger Bag Is Just What Your iPad Needs

[ad_1]

I often agonize over bag sizes. Part of me always wants to go bigger, just in case. But then I end up with messenger bags and backpacks that feel too bulky to carry around every day. If I opt for the smaller one, it’s often too small to fit the things I need and ends up overstuffed. The item I often carry with me that seems to complicate this issue is the 11-inch iPad Pro. It’s light but rigid, and in small bags it can feel like carrying around a plank of wood flapping against your leg. Smaller bags can also be too narrow, making it a tight fit for any other items you want to carry. WaterField’s Shinjuku Messenger aims to solve some of these problems with a design purpose-built for the iPad.

Everyday Carrying

Coming out of the box, it seemed way too small. There was no way this one was going to comfortably fit my iPad, water bottle, chargers, and other stuff. It seemed doomed to be one of the tiny messengers that couldn’t quite cut it.

Until I started putting stuff inside. The iPad slipped into the padded tablet sleeve with ease, a narrow water bottle fit comfortably at the bottom of the main pocket. The other inward-facing pockets were spacious and expanded a bit as I put in a charger, my wallet, a pair of earbuds, and a sunglasses case. There was room for everything, and the bag wasn’t even filled to capacity. Its exterior shape still felt soft and pliable, not taut and filled to the brim the way an overloaded messenger can feel. Flipping open the lid, everything was within view, and every item was reachable without moving anything—a must for any bag as far as I’m concerned.

Photograph: Waterfield

Slung across my body, it didn’t even look like a messenger bag. Even fully laden, it looked smaller—more like a purse or just a small crossbody for your phone and a few other items. I also noticed how evenly distributed the weight felt. The straps attach to the bag itself at a slight angle, rather than being sewn on straight up and down; it’s just enough of a direction to the bag that it falls against your body nicely no matter where you have it slung—hip, lower back, front, across your chest, hung from one shoulder. It’s the kind of quiet, intuitive design flourish that tells you this bag was designed by people who know what they’re doing.

Adjusting the strap is also easy as you can lengthen or shorten it without taking it off. The strap itself is a thick weave, almost like a car seatbelt. It is a bit thinner than the straps on other WaterField bags I’ve used, and the edges are a little hard and can rub against your neck uncomfortably, though like other WaterField straps they’ll probably soften up over time.

The top flap seals with a magnetic closure. It’s strong and snappy but not so strong that you have to fight it. As with all magnetic closures though, I worry about their durability over time. I have a couple other WaterField bags I’ve tested, and the magnetic closures are still going strong on those, but I’ve lost so many bags to the wear and tear of magnetic closures abrading themselves free from canvas that I’m inherently distrustful. I didn’t notice any unusual wear and tear on the canvas where the magnets sit while testing, which is always a good sign.

The interior is bright orange with a textured pattern. That’s one of my favorite things about WaterField Designs. I’ve come to dislike bags with dark-colored interiors; it’s way too easy to lose things in the dark. Against a bright color, I can always spot a missing hair tie.

Photograph: Waterfield

Canvas, but Different

I tested the black canvas version with leather accents on the flap. I was a little wary of its material construction; canvas can be finicky and scuff easily, or become waterlogged at the mere sight of a raincloud. This canvas, WaterField assured, was different. It’s a material called X11 Cotton from X-Pac, a company that spun off from Dimension-Polyant, a manufacturer of high-performance sailcloth. According to X-Pac, the material is a specially treated canvas with an inner layer of fibers woven in a diamond pattern to enhance durability and weight distribution, and it’s also water-resistant. That waterproofing is achieved via a PFAS-free DWR coating. X-Pac makes other DWR materials that do use PFAS, but I confirmed with WaterField and X-Pac that the X11 Cotton is PFAS-free.

Photograph: Waterfield

[ad_2]

Jaina Grey

Source link

June 17, 2024
Parrots in captivity seem to enjoy video-chatting with their friends on Messenger

[ad_1]

Parrots are innately social creatures. In captivity, where they typically don’t have a flock to interact with, that can present some real challenges for keeping them happy and healthy. But recent research suggests technology may be able to help them meet more of their social needs. A led by researchers at the University of Glasgow and Northeastern University compared parrots’ responses when given the option to video chat with other birds via Meta’s Messenger versus watching pre-recorded videos. And it seems they’ve got a preference for real-time conversations.

The research builds on findings from a series of small studies over the last few years, including one in which the team trained pet parrots to make video calls to each other (with human assistance) and another where they were taught to play tablet games. In the latest, nine parrot owners were given tablets to set up for their pets, who were then observed over a period of six months. During that time, the parrots — who’d been introduced to each other at the beginning over video chat — were able to engage in calls amongst themselves of up to three hours long over a total of 12 sessions. Half of these sessions featured pre-recorded videos, while the other half were live Messenger video chats.

Their caregivers, who recorded the sessions, reported that the birds seemed more engaged during the live interactions. They initiated more calls in those scenarios, and spent more time on average engaging with the birds on the other end.

In each session, the parrots were allowed to make up to two calls, and the researchers found that those chatting over Messenger hit this limit 46 percent of the time, compared to almost half that when they were watching pre-recorded videos. Overall, they spent a combined 561 minutes video-chatting on Messenger compared to just 142 minutes watching the pre-recorded videos.

“The appearance of ‘liveness’ really did seem to make a difference to the parrots’ engagement with their screens,” said Dr. Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, though noting that further study would be needed before definite conclusions can be drawn. “Their behavior while interacting with another live bird often reflected behaviors they would engage in with other parrots in real life, which wasn’t the case in the pre-recorded sessions.” Still, the caregivers mostly reported that the live and pre-recorded calls both seemed to have a positive impact on the birds.

“The internet holds a great deal of potential for giving animals agency to interact with each other in new ways, but the systems we build to help them do that need to be designed around their specific needs and physical and mental abilities,” said Dr. Hirskyj-Douglas. “Studies like this could help to lay the foundations of a truly animal-centered internet.”

[ad_2]

Cheyenne MacDonald

Source link

May 4, 2024
Switch – the Innovative 4-in-1 Backpack – Launches on Kickstarter With New Features for Modern Lifestyles

[ad_1]

Press Release
–

updated: Oct 10, 2018

HONG KONG, October 10, 2018 (Newswire.com)
–
WiWU, the experienced team behind the popular OnePack backpack, announced the Kickstarter launch of Switch – a totally new transformable backpack design. It can easily switch into four useful modes with detachable straps and easy access: a shoulder bag, handbag, messenger bag and also the backpack.

This 4-in-1 carry-all for school, business, travel and adventures combine the best features of suitcases and backpacks that make it the perfect storage system for modern lifestyles. It is available now with special rewards for early adopters on Kickstarter.

From our previous successful backpack designs, we knew that people need smart solutions to a variety of daily applications. Switch’s 4-in-1 design makes it perfect for any activity, commute or travel. It consolidates the best features into a transformable design that does it all.

Chun Hang, Chief Engineer of WiWU Designs

The Switch has a 22-liter capacity that uses well-placed dividers, mesh pockets and access points for efficient storage for adventure or travel. The dividers provide separate spaces for clothing, shoes, laptop computer, notebooks, mobile devices and daily essentials. Its specially designed straps are comfortable and the carry handles distribute weight perfectly for light or heavy loads. It’s compact enough for daily use yet easily expands for 2-3 day trips.

“From our previous successful backpack designs, we knew that people need smart solutions to a variety of daily applications. Switch’s 4-in-1 design makes it perfect for any activity, commute or travel. It consolidates the best features into a transformable design that does it all.” Chun Hang, chief engineer of WiWU Designs.

The switch uses durable fabric that resists stains and is rain resistant for inclement weather, the zippers are top-quality no-snag design and the back of the pack has a unique roller bag sleeve that fits over a roller-style suitcase for easy transport when used in conjunction with larger suitcases when traveling.

Stylish, compact and easy to carry, the Switch campaign has now launched with introductory pricing, deals for early adopters and limited special discounts.

Media Contact: hello@wiwu.com

Source: WiWU

[ad_2]

Source link

October 10, 2018
LOOPBAG: The Most Functional Bag Now Available on Kickstarter
[ad_1]

LOOPSETTER introduces LOOPBAG, the bag that caters to the everyday man through its versatile form and usability

Press Release
–

updated: Dec 21, 2017
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. , December 21, 2017 (Newswire.com)
–
LOOPBAG, the perfectly crafted bag designed for the modern man, is now available on Kickstarter. With its interchangeability, LOOPBAG can function as a backpack, messenger bag and duffel bag, making it adaptable to any occasion. LOOPBAG eliminates the hassle of carrying multiple of bags and is ideal for short business trips, vacations and daily life. Through its versatile nature and intricate design, LOOPBAG sets the standard for convenience and style.

“We created LOOPBAG by replicating the distinct functions of different types of bags and packing them into one sleek, simple bag,” said CEO Hyuntae Roh.

We created LOOPBAG by replicating the distinct functions of different types of bags and packing them into one sleek, simple bag.

Hyuntae Roh, CEO and Founder

LOOPBAG’s straps can be pulled out or hidden to transform the bag into the desired form. In addition, each bag has its own respective features that offer users unique functions. LOOPBAG’s tremendous storage capacity, customizable compartment, bag extension, side strap storage and card pocket can accommodate the user’s needs and daily patterns.

LOOPBAG is available in two appealing shades: Jet Black and Courtesy Grey. All of LOOPBAG’s fabric, fittings and zippers are 100 percent produced in South Korea. To achieve premium quality and durability, LOOPBAG is manufactured through X-shaped processing and reciprocating stitch lines, rather than traditional sewing methods.

LOOPBAG’s features include:
- Hidden Straps: Two available straps to hide or take out for convenient rearrangement
- Customized Compartment: Organizable dividers to store various small and large items
- Backpack Extension: Enlargement of backpack storage capacity of up to 40 liters
- Side Storage: Straps located on the sides of the bag to secure long items
- Anti-Theft: Triple-layer fabric and integrated locks to protect belongings
- Waterproof: Repels moisture when in contact with water
Pre-order of LOOPBAG is now available through the product’s Kickstarter page (http://kck.st/2jQt3GU), and it is a consumer-ready product with positive reviews. During the campaign, LOOPBAG can be purchased for $169 USD as the Early Bird price and $179 as the Regular Kickstarter price. When the campaign funding goal is achieved, the company anticipates manufacturing and delivery to be complete in April of 2018.

About LOOPSETTER

LOOPSETTER is a California-based startup developing premium products for everyday people. The products are designed and developed in Newport Beach, California, and are manufactured in Seoul, Korea. LOOPSETTER’s team of experts and engineers are fully dedicated to the slogan, “Form follows function,” as they aspire to make the highest-quality bags for convenience and usability. More information can be found at their website: http://loopsetter.com.

Source: LOOPSETTER
[ad_2]

Source link
December 21, 2017