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In recognition of a safer internet for teens, Meta has unveiled groundbreaking efforts to enhance internet safety, particularly for young teens vulnerable to sextortion and intimate image abuse.
The tech giant introduced two crucial initiatives: “Take It Down” and an anti-sextortion campaign in collaboration with Thorn.
Empowering Teens with “Take It Down”
Meta is at the forefront of safeguarding teens with the launch of “Take It Down,” a pioneering program developed in collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
This initiative, inspired by successful platforms like StopNCII, allows teens to reclaim control over their intimate imagery, preventing unauthorized sharing online.
Originally available in English and Spanish, “Take It Down” is expanding to include more languages, ensuring accessibility for millions of teens globally.
The program caters to teens concerned about their content being posted online, adults worried about images taken when they were under 18, and parents or trusted adults managing Meta products on behalf of young users.
Meta’s commitment to online safety extends beyond mere rhetoric, demonstrating its dedication to providing tangible solutions for families.
Anti-Sextortion Campaign: A Unified Front Against Threats
In a strategic partnership with Thorn, Meta is launching a comprehensive anti-sextortion campaign. This initiative aims to equip teens and parents with valuable tips on handling and protecting against sextortion.
Specialized teams within Meta are actively working to combat sextortion by identifying patterns associated with this behaviour and developing automated systems to detect and remove such accounts at scale.
Moreover, Meta has collaborated with safety organizations worldwide, including Watoto Watch, Missing Children Kenya, Eveminet, and Childline Kenya, to raise awareness about the campaign and ensure a collective effort against sextortion.
Sylvia Musalagani, Head of Safety Policy for Africa, Middle East, and Turkey at Meta, emphasizes, “Non-consensual sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent is against our policies, and nobody should ever have to experience this.”
Meta’s Holistic Approach to Internet Safety
Meta’s commitment to online safety is evident through its development of more than 30 tools and features dedicated to supporting the safety of teens and families.
The recent launch of the Family Centre in Kenya, featuring supervision tools and an Education Hub, further demonstrates Meta’s proactive stance in creating safer online experiences for families.
To access “Take It Down,” users can submit a case to have their intimate photos proactively searched for on participating apps by visiting TakeItDown.NCMEC.org.
The anti-sextortion campaign guidance can be found in Meta’s updated Sextortion hub within Meta’s Safety Center.
By actively addressing issues like sextortion and empowering users with practical tools, Meta sets a positive example for other social media platforms to follow suit in prioritizing user safety on the internet.
