The most popular social networks around the world are simultaneously opening access to new parental control tools and mechanisms that allow you to control the time you spend online. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has implemented new alert systems for both networks. Users will start receiving notifications whenever they spend more than 20 minutes on the platforms, and Silent Mode, which has been only available in certain countries so far, will have a global coverage in the coming weeks, allowing you to define specific periods of not receiving notifications from the Application. Instagram will also have a new system that prompts users to disconnect from the app when they watch “rolls” in turn at night. Direct contacts will also have new rules: sending videos or images to someone who has not authorized this direct connection is no longer possible. Instagram will also be strengthening parental controls to give parents the ability to see how many mutual friends your teen has with the followers and accounts they follow. There is news for Messenger too. In Family Center, families can now see how much time their teen spends on the app and what privacy and security settings they have turned on. Parents can also now see who can message their kids or view their “stories,” a feature that only existed in Messenger Kids but has now been expanded to range from 13 to 18. As for TikTok, parents can (remotely) set words and “hashtags” that block certain videos.