Meta has begun introducing new parental supervision features for Threads across the Asia-Pacific region. The new tools are designed to give parents and guardians greater visibility into how teenagers use the text-based social media platform, including their daily screen time, privacy settings and access to different types of content.
Starting this week, Threads will be integrated with Meta’s Family Centre supervision system in the region. Parents will be able to monitor and manage their teenager’s Threads account through the same system used for supervision on other Meta platforms.
Parents Can Manage Teen Screen Time on Threads
The new controls will allow parents to check how much time their teenager has spent on Threads each day over the previous seven days, as well as view their average daily usage. Parents can also establish daily time limits and restrict access to Threads during specific hours or on selected days.
Teen Accounts already include several built-in protections, such as private account settings and restrictions on the type of content teenagers can view. Meta said parents will also have additional control over these protections.
“Beginning this week, parents can decide if teens under 16 can change any of these settings to be less strict,” Meta said. The company added that the updated system will provide parents with additional insights and controls.
Parents can also manage Threads’ sleep mode, which restricts or blocks access to the platform during nighttime hours. During the default sleep period of 10 PM to 7 AM, notifications are muted and auto-replies are enabled.
More Privacy and Content Controls for Teen Accounts
Meta’s supervision tools will also give parents greater control over certain interactions on Threads. They can manage who is allowed to tag their teenager in posts and approve selected privacy settings and sensitive-content preferences.
Time restrictions will apply to the teenager’s overall Threads usage across multiple devices, rather than being limited to time spent on a single device.
According to Meta, the new features are intended to give parents a clearer view of their teenagers’ experiences on Threads while working alongside the protections already included with Teen Accounts.
Parents and guardians can activate supervision through Meta’s Family Centre. The company said it plans to continue expanding its supervision features so parents can access controls and information about their teenagers’ experiences across its apps in one place.
Meta to Report Child Safety Matters to India’s Cybercrime Portal
Alongside the Threads rollout, Meta is also strengthening its cooperation with Indian authorities on child safety. A Meta spokesperson said on Tuesday that the company will now report child safety-related matters directly to the Cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).
“Protecting children on our platforms is a priority for us, and we’re committed to working with the government to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are held responsible,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added, “To collectively strengthen our efforts to combat this harm, Meta will now report child safety matters directly to the Cybercrime portal managed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C).”
The move forms part of Meta’s broader efforts to work with Indian authorities to address online child exploitation and other child safety-related crimes.
Meta operates major platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, where it has implemented systems and tools designed to identify and limit harmful content involving children.
The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs, supports the country’s efforts to tackle cybercrime by improving coordination between law enforcement agencies, strengthening capabilities and using technology-based solutions.