We want them to do this feeling safe, and to leave our apps feeling good about the time they’ve spent on them. That’s why we don’t allow harmful content, and why we work closely with experts in mental health, child psychology, digital literacy and more, to develop features to help give young people positive, age-appropriate experiences.
Among the most important experts we consult are families themselves. Parents and guardians know what’s best for their teens - which is why we think it’s vital to hear directly from them about their experiences, and what more they’d like to see from platforms like ours. We want to empower parents to have their say, help them understand all the safety tools available to them and their teens, and make sure that our approach meets their needs and expectations.
That’s why we’re inviting parents in Brussels to Screen Smart, an interactive conversation between parents, safety experts and Meta, as we seek to navigate and improve teens' online experiences.
Featuring an overview of Meta’s approach to supporting teens and parents, an expert panel of safety specialists, a collaborative workshop, and of course, a glass of wine, the Screen Smart series is coming to Meta’s Brussels office this Tuesday.
Today, thanks to our ongoing consultation with teens, parents and experts in youth safety, we have more than 30 features designed to support teens and their families - from Parental Supervision to Quiet Mode and Take A Break, which set clear boundaries and help teens manage their time online. We want to hear feedback on these and other tools from parents and experts in Brussels, as well as other ideas and observations that we’ll take back to our product teams as we continue to evolve and improve.
Co-designing products with experts, young people and parents is key to our approach
Screen Smart is part of our global co-design program that invites young people, parents and experts to participate in our product design process.
Screen Smart will build on the ideas collected at our Youth Design Jam, which we held in Brussels this past April with NGO ThinkYoung. The Youth Design Jam brought together young people, policymakers and industry experts to co-design more positive and age-appropriate online experiences for young people. The students shared unique perspectives and experiences, and prototyped potential transparency, control and education tools to help shape current and future technologies that meet their needs.
We’ve seen how collaborative events like the Youth Design Jam can tangibly improve the online environment for everyone, so that all people, no matter their age, can fully benefit from this innovative and inclusive approach to design. We’re confident that Screen Smart will do the same.
These events are well aligned with the European Union’s Better Internet for Kids Strategy, which calls on industry to actively involve young people and families in the development of their digital products and services, empowering them to influence the co-creation of their digital environment. We’re committed to continuing our work to building an environment where young people feel safe online.
Thanks to events like Screen Smart, we’re able to collect valuable feedback from parents and other experts that ensures we can continue building and improving the resources and support available. Visit our Family Center to learn more about our supervision tools and access resources from leading experts.
Tara Hopkins, Global Director of Public Policy, Instagram
