As pressure on tech companies to increase safety for teenagers online continues, Meta is expanding Instagram’s partnership program with U.S. schools and adding new features to the initiative.
According to Reuters, Meta announced on Tuesday that it has added a set of new features to Instagram’s collaborative program with American schools. These capabilities are offered with the aim of expanding the tools available to schools and students; an action that is part of Meta’s efforts to strengthen measures related to protecting teenagers online.
Meta has said that nearly 17,000 schools have joined the program so far. The company is also developing a new integrated hub to manage school-associated accounts to make access and management of these accounts easier.
The expansion of this program comes as Meta faces increased scrutiny and criticism over the impact of its social platforms on underage users. Teen safety on social networks has in recent years become one of the main focal points in discussions about the responsibility of tech companies.
In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and to impose stricter limits on teenagers’ use of Facebook and Instagram. This agreement arose in connection with cases alleging that the design of these platforms could foster dependency and addictive use among children.
Meta also stated that students who attend participating schools and whose eligibility for the program has been verified will have access to a set of new features. These include guides for school clubs and teams, school-specific Stories, and notifications related to school activities and events.
These features are intended to create more direct connections between school accounts, students, and educational and extracurricular activities, and to expand the use of Instagram within school environments.