Meta announced on May 28 that it is revamping Teen Accounts in Vietnam with content standards inspired by 13+ movie ratings criteria, alongside a new “Limited Content” setting designed to give parents greater control over what teenagers see and experience online. The update, which applies across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, marks what the company describes as the most significant overhaul of Teen Accounts since the feature was introduced in Vietnam last year.
Updating policies
The revamped system aims to make online experiences more age-appropriate by aligning content standards more closely with frameworks familiar to parents. Meta said the updated policies go beyond existing safeguards that already limit sexually suggestive material, graphic imagery, and adult-related content such as alcohol and tobacco. Under the new approach, teens will also see stricter filtering of strong language, risky stunts, and content that could encourage potentially harmful behavior.
Protections are also being expanded across the platform ecosystem. Teen users will face tighter restrictions around search, account discovery, and recommendations, including reduced visibility of accounts that regularly post age-inappropriate content. Meta said teens will also be blocked from accessing a broader range of mature search results, while updated safeguards will extend to recommendations, comments, direct messages, and AI interactions.
For parents seeking additional safeguards, Meta is introducing a stricter “Limited Content” setting, which will further reduce the range of visible content and disable teens’ ability to view, leave, or receive comments on posts. The feature is expected to become available in Vietnam later this year.
Speaking at a discussion in Hanoi, Ms. Malina Enlund, Head of Safety Policy APAC at Meta, said the company’s approach seeks to balance protection with young people’s developmental and social needs. Rather than focusing solely on screen time, she argued that parents should pay closer attention to the quality of online engagement and the role digital spaces now play in teenagers’ daily lives.
“Mindless scrolling is not the same thing as talking to friends and having social interaction,” Ms. Enlund said, noting that messaging classmates, participating in school groups, or maintaining friendships online can contribute positively to teen development.
At the same time, she stressed the importance of parental involvement. Meta’s parental control tools already allow families to set daily time limits, sleep schedules, and restrictions tailored to a teen’s circumstances, such as school exams or holidays. According to Ms. Enlund, flexible supervision is more effective than one-size-fits-all restrictions because every family and every child is different.
Guidance over bans
The discussion also touched on growing calls in some markets to restrict or ban children’s access to social media altogether. While acknowledging widespread concerns over online harms, Ms. Enlund argued that outright bans may not produce the intended outcome, pointing to experiences in Australia where children have reportedly bypassed restrictions through VPNs or by creating adult accounts.
From Meta’s perspective, such behavior could unintentionally push children toward less regulated online spaces where platform protections no longer apply. “The common goal is really to protect children,” she said, adding that children still need room to explore interests, connect with peers, and access information within a safer environment.
Vietnamese experts participating in the discussion broadly echoed the view that trust and guidance should play a larger role than prohibition in protecting children online.
Ms. Nguyen Nhu Quynh, CEO of ChongLuaDao Social Enterprise Company Limited, said many children turn to digital spaces because they feel a sense of connection and belonging there. When parents rely primarily on control or punishment, children may become less willing to share their experiences or challenges online.
Instead, she emphasized the importance of building trust within families and spending more time communicating with children. Strong relationships at home, she said, help parents become part of their children’s “digital circle” and better understand how they interact online.
Addressing cyberbullying, Ms. Quynh said harmful online behavior often begins in subtle ways, ranging from teasing and mocking appearances to embarrassing nicknames or jokes about academic performance. While some incidents may initially appear minor, repeated and intentional conduct that harms a child psychologically or physically should be treated seriously and addressed through cooperation between families, schools, and other stakeholders.
Ms. Ngo Minh Trang, Director of the Vietnet Information and Communication Technology Center (Vietnet-ICT), noted that the distinction between joking and bullying online can be difficult to identify, but intentional and repeated behavior is often the defining characteristic.
She also cautioned against a common tendency among Asian parents to react to online risks by immediately restricting access to devices or platforms. Such responses, she said, may discourage children from speaking openly about problems for fear of losing access to technology.
Instead, Ms. Trang advocated for open, non-judgmental communication that reassures children they will be supported rather than punished. Parents, she added, should work with children to solve problems together instead of approaching digital safety solely through restrictions.
Beyond online harms, the discussion highlighted concerns over screen time and excessive device use. Ms. Trang said families should distinguish between internet use for education and social media use for entertainment, while establishing clear rules around when devices should and should not be used.
She encouraged families to replace some digital habits with offline activities, such as writing by hand, spending more time outdoors, or visiting relatives in person. Parents, she argued, must also model the behavior they expect from children, since family rules are more likely to work when adults follow them as well.
Ms. Trang also argued against blanket bans on children’s access to social media, saying young people today are often highly digitally fluent and likely to find ways around rigid restrictions. Instead of prohibition, she said, children should be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate online environments safely.
Reflecting that view, Ms. Trang said she had observed Meta making sustained efforts over the years to strengthen child safety features, including consultation with specialists to improve protections for younger users.
Meta said additional protections will continue to roll out in Vietnam, including the integration of Threads into the Teen Accounts experience beginning in July. While Threads accounts for teens are not yet visible through Meta’s Family Center parental supervision tools, the platform already includes privacy protections and sensitive-content filtering for younger users, according to Ms. Enlund.
The rollout also forms part of Meta’s broader child safety and digital literacy initiatives in Vietnam. As part of Children’s Action Month 2026, the company will participate in activities related to child protection in digital environments and plans to expand awareness campaigns with local partners aimed at helping parents and communities better support safer online experiences for teens. Since 2018, Meta said its digital literacy programs have reached nearly one million students and tens of thousands of educators across more than 40 provinces.
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