Meta is deploying influencer campaigns globally to promote its Teen Accounts feature, which launched in 2024. The tools provide users aged 13 to 16 with private profiles, screen-time limits, and age-appropriate content filters. The company pays celebrities and parenting bloggers to demonstrate these parental supervision capabilities.
According to the Tech Transparency Project, this strategy aims to counter potential government bans on social media for children under 16. Australia, Brazil, and Indonesia have already implemented such restrictions, while at least 22 other nations are considering similar policies. Meta faces pressure in the U.S. as well, where it recently agreed to set safety limitations as defaults for teens.
Influencers involved in the campaign, such as Sonam Jaggi and Hiten Tejwani, have promoted these features to their combined audiences of hundreds of thousands of followers. While some participants acknowledge the business motives behind the ads, they emphasize the utility of parental control tools. Meta has also hosted 'screen smart' events and sponsored safety initiatives in various countries.
A November 2025 report by a whistleblower and safety organizations evaluated 53 safety features and found that 64% were ineffective, broken, or missing. Despite these findings, Meta maintains that its self-regulatory tools are a viable alternative to legislative bans, which critics argue could infringe on fundamental rights to information and communication.