Users under the age of 16 have their accounts automatically switched to Teen Accounts starting from today.

The new Teen Accounts feature built-in protections including content controls, message limits, and screen time alerts designed to protect young people from inappropriate content and unwanted contact, and encourage healthy social media behaviours.

According to Meta, the accounts will also give parents “peace of mind” about their children’s social media use.

The social media juggernaut also announced that additional protections will be introduced for Teen Accounts on Instagram in the coming months.

The new features include Instagram Live restrictions, which will prohibit users under the age of 16 from going Live without parental permission.

Any images sent to an Instagram Teen Account via DM that are suspected of containing nudity will also be blurred.

These features can only be turned off or modified with parental permission.

The social media giant claimed yesterday that the accounts “have been well-received” and that 97 per cent of teens aged 13 to 15 have kept their accounts’ default restrictions on.

However, young people and experts alike in Australia have questioned the usefulness of these accounts in actually protecting teens from harmful experiences online.