By Kingsley Samuel
Meta has introduced enhanced parental supervision tools aimed at giving Nigerian parents greater control over their teenagers’ online activities as part of efforts to strengthen digital safety for young users.
The new features were unveiled at the Nigeria Youth Safety Summit held in Abuja, where Meta, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, brought together government officials, parents, educators, civil society organisations, youth leaders and content creators to discuss safer online experiences for young Nigerians.
The tools allow parents to receive notifications when their teenagers report inappropriate content, monitor who they are messaging, set daily time limits for Instagram use, schedule breaks from the platform, and view the age-appropriate content topics their children engage with based on their interests.
Meta said the initiative is designed to help parents play a more active role in guiding their children’s online experiences while promoting healthier digital habits.
Speaking at the summit, Meta’s Head of Safety Policy for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Sylvia Musalagani, said the company remains committed to building age-appropriate digital experiences for teenagers.
“At Meta, our goal is to provide teens with safe, age-appropriate online experiences, and events like the Nigeria Youth Safety Summit reflect our commitment to promoting safer and more positive digital experiences for teens.
“With products such as Teen Accounts, Meta is putting the right protections in place so teens can explore their interests and express their creativity in a safe, age-appropriate space. We will continue to build the safety features and tools that families need to support young people online,” she said.
Musalagani explained that the parental supervision tools complement Meta’s Teen Accounts, which automatically provide enhanced protections for users under 18.
The accounts come with built-in safeguards, including private profiles by default, the strictest messaging settings, restrictions on sensitive content, limited tagging and mentions, daily reminders after 60 minutes of screen time, and sleep mode that silences notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Teenagers under the age of 16 require parental approval before these settings can be made less restrictive.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said parents remain the first line of defence in protecting children from online risks.”
Child online safety is one of our central pillars and we are steadfast in our mandate to safeguard the Nigerian child from technology-enabled violence.
Children cannot navigate the complexities of the online world without informed adults guiding them because safety begins with the parents.
“Safety is a shared tripartite responsibility between parents, technology companies and government. We appreciate Meta for the collaboration and for creating a platform for these important conversations,” she said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the Federal Government welcomes partnerships that equip young Nigerians with the skills to thrive safely in the digital economy.
“We believe that keeping young people safe online is a shared responsibility. Government, technology companies, schools, parents, social organisations, community groups and young people themselves all have a role to play.
“We encourage Meta to make the tools, guides and learning materials from this initiative more widely available so that young people across Nigeria can continue to benefit,” he said.
Beyond unveiling the new parental controls, the summit featured digital literacy sessions, a Parents Learn & Brunch programme organised with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, and panel discussions that explored practical ways families, government and technology companies can work together to improve online safety for young people.
