Meta has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting young people online with the official launch of Instagram Teen Accounts in Nigeria—a suite of new features designed to make social media safer for teenagers.
Speaking at a launch event in Lagos on Wednesday, Sylvia Musalagani, Meta’s Safety Policy Manager for Africa, Middle East, and Turkey (AMET), said the company was stepping up efforts to create a secure and age-appropriate digital environment for Nigerian teens.
“Teen safety is a core priority for Meta,” Musalagani said. “We’re excited to bring these features to Nigeria to help families navigate online spaces safely.”
Under the new system, teens aged 13 to 15 who join Instagram will automatically be placed on Teen Accounts, which come with pre-set privacy and safety protections. These include restrictions on messaging, tagging, sensitive content visibility, and time spent on the app.
Built-in Protections for Nigerian Teens
Teen Accounts are private by default and limit who can interact with teen users. Messaging is restricted to mutual followers only, and teens will not see sensitive content in search results, Explore, or Reels. Teens can also only be tagged or mentioned by users they follow.
Meta has also introduced time management features such as 60-minute daily usage prompts and a sleep mode that silences notifications between 10 PM and 7 AM.
According to Meta, over 54 million teens globally have been enrolled into Teen Accounts since the global rollout began in late 2024, with 97% of 13–15-year-olds remaining within the strict default settings.
Tools for Parents and Guardians
The platform also unveiled enhanced supervision tools for parents, allowing them to view who their teens have interacted with (without message content), set time limits, schedule app downtime, and monitor the interest areas their teens are engaging with.
These updates are part of Meta’s broader strategy to partner with families, educators, and policymakers in improving teen online safety.
Regulatory Support in Nigeria
Officials from Nigeria’s tech and communications ecosystem were present at the launch, including representatives from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
Barrister Emmanuel Edet, Director of Regulations and Compliance at NITDA, praised Meta’s teen safety rollout for aligning with national digital protection priorities.
“This policy supports ongoing efforts around child online safety and aligns with proposed legislation like the Online Harms Protection Bill,” Edet noted. “It reinforces the need for age-appropriate online experiences.”
A Community-Driven Launch
The launch event brought together content creators, public figures, parents, and media professionals in an engaging dialogue about online safety. Among those in attendance were actress Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, comedienne Emmanuella Samuel, and founder of The Mummy Summit, Nicole Chikwe.
With the Nigerian digital youth audience growing rapidly, Meta says it will continue to adapt its platforms to better serve the realities of local users, while promoting safety, inclusion, and education.
