Meta to Introduce Teen Accounts for Facebook

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Facebook logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Facebook logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Meta to Introduce Teen Accounts for Facebook

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Facebook logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Facebook logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Meta on Tuesday announced that it was extending its teen accounts to its social network Facebook, after recently introducing restrictions on Instagram.

The accounts were brought in for 13- to 15-year-old users of the company's popular photo-sharing app last September as part of moves to shield vulnerable underage internet users from online harms.

Teens are immediately placed in such accounts, with those under 16 unable to change settings without parental permission.

In a statement, Meta said it was expanding the restrictions in the coming months to stop teens from going live or turning off protections for unwanted images in direct messages on their own.

"Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens' time is well spent," it added.

The accounts will initially be available in the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada, then other countries at a later date.

At least 54 million teenagers currently have a teen account, which also limits overnight notifications and have reminders to leave the app after an hour.

Users can only be messaged by people they follow or are already connected to.

Adolescent use of social networks has prompted concern in recent years, notably about the amount of screentime and lack of moderation on some platforms.

In November last year, Australia's parliament voted in favor of a ban on under 16s from using social networks.

TikTok recently launched a function in the European Union allowing parents to limit the amount of time that teenagers spend on the app.



Google Warns Staff with US Visas against International Travel

FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is displayed during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, November 11, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is displayed during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, November 11, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
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Google Warns Staff with US Visas against International Travel

FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is displayed during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, November 11, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is displayed during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, November 11, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo

Alphabet's Google has advised some employees on US visas to avoid international travel due to delays at embassies, Business Insider reported on Friday, citing an internal email.

The email, sent by the company's outside counsel BAL Immigration Law on Thursday, warned staff who need a visa ⁠stamp to re-enter the United States not to leave the country because visa processing times have lengthened, the report said.

Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Some US embassies and consulates face visa ⁠appointment delays of up to 12 months, the memo said, warning that international travel will "risk an extended stay outside the US", according to the report.

The administration of President Donald Trump this month announced increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, including screening social media accounts.

The H-1B visa program, widely used by the US ⁠technology sector to hire skilled workers from India and China, has been under the spotlight after the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee for new applications this year.

In September, Google's parent company Alphabet had strongly advised its employees to avoid international travel and urged H-1B visa holders to remain in the US, according to an email seen by Reuters.


AI Boom Drives Data-Center Dealmaking to Record High, Says Report

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters and robot hand are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration created on June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters and robot hand are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration created on June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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AI Boom Drives Data-Center Dealmaking to Record High, Says Report

AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters and robot hand are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration created on June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
AI (Artificial Intelligence) letters and robot hand are placed on computer motherboard in this illustration created on June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Global data-center dealmaking surged to a record high through November this year, driven by an insatiable demand for ​computing infrastructure to meet the boom in artificial intelligence usage.

Data from S&P Global Market Intelligence showed that there were more than 100 data center transactions during the period, with the total value sitting just under $61 billion.

WHY ‌IT'S IMPORTANT

Interest ‌in data centers ‌has ⁠swelled ​this ‌year as tech giants and AI hyperscalers have planned billions of dollars in spending to scale up infrastructure.

AI-related companies have powered much of the gains in US stocks this year, but concerns over lofty ⁠valuations and debt-fueled spending have also sparked worries ‌over how quickly corporates can ‍turn the investments ‍into profits.

BY THE NUMBERS

Including M&As, asset ‍sales and equity investments, data center investments hit nearly $61 billion through the end of November, already surpassing 2024's record high $60.81 billion.

Since ​2019, data center dealmaking in the US and Canada totaled about $160 billion, ⁠with Asia-Pacific reaching nearly $40 billion and Europe $24.2 billion.

GRAPHIC KEY QUOTE

"High interest comes from financial sponsors, which are attracted by the risk/reward profile of such assets. Private equity firms are eager buyers but are generally reluctant sellers, creating an environment where availability for sale of high-quality data center assets is scarce," said Iuri ‌Struta, TMT analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence.


YouTube Down for Thousands of US Users, Downdetector Shows

The YouTube app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The YouTube app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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YouTube Down for Thousands of US Users, Downdetector Shows

The YouTube app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
The YouTube app icon on a smartphone in this illustration taken October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Google's YouTube was ​down for thousands of users in the ‌United ‌States ‌on ⁠Friday, ​according to ‌Downdetector.com, Reuters reported.

There were more than 10,800 reports of ⁠issues with ‌the streaming ‍platform ‍as of ‍08:15 a.m. ET, according to Downdetector, ​which tracks outages by ⁠collating status reports from a number of sources.

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Outage ‌reports exceeded 1,300 ‍in ‍Canada as of ‍8:29 a.m. ET; and more than 3,000 in the UK of ​8:30 a.m. ET.

YouTube did not immediately ⁠respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The actual number of affected users may differ from what's shown on Downdetector because these reports are user-submitted.