Meta has introduced parental supervision tools for its Threads platform, allowing parents and guardians to monitor their teenager's activity, set daily time limits, adjust sleep mode, and manage privacy settings through the company's Family Center hub. The move comes three years after Threads launched in July 2023 and as the platform now boasts 500 million monthly active users.
The new controls let parents view how much time a teen has spent on Threads each day for the past week, including their average daily usage. Parents can set a daily time limit that applies across all devices — such as a phone and laptop — and block access during selected days and hours. Night-time restrictions are also available, with notifications muted and auto-replies enabled by default for all teens between 10pm and 7am.
Teens on Threads already benefit from built-in protections, including private accounts and limits on the content they can see. However, under the new system, parents can decide whether those under 16 are allowed to adjust any of these automatic settings to be less restrictive. Parents can also control who is permitted to tag their teen in posts.
The rollout follows sustained pressure on Meta from regulators and lawmakers to improve safety for young users. The company has spent several years expanding parental controls across its apps in response to concerns over excessive screen time, harmful content, and teen safety. Meta, alongside other social media giants, is currently defending numerous lawsuits related to child safety.
For UK businesses and consumers, the development signals a broader shift toward tighter oversight of social media platforms. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has been active in enforcing age-appropriate design standards under the Children's code, while the EU's AI Act introduces further obligations for algorithmic transparency and risk assessments. Experts say that while parental controls offer practical safeguards, they do not replace the need for robust platform-level content moderation and compliance with evolving digital regulation.
The tools are rolling out in the US first, with a global expansion — including the UK — expected by the end of 2026. Meta has confirmed that parental supervision on Threads will be available worldwide, though no exact date has been set for the UK launch.