With the back-to-school season already up on us, I know parents and educators alike are thinking about how to help teens kick off the year feeling safe, confident and ready for success both in the classroom and their extracurricular activities. A new school year is always a fresh start—full of excitement, possibilities and maybe a little bit of worry (for us parents and teachers, too!). Supporting teens online is every bit as important as cheering them on with homework or after-school activities. 

As a former educator myself and now Head of Global Safety at Meta, I care deeply about helping families, schools and technology platforms all work together to make online life safer for young people. Whether you’re new to all this or a seasoned digital parent or educator, the Meta Family Center makes sure you have practical advice and helpful tools as you guide teens into the school year, both online and off. Below are some top tips on how to get started.  

Practical Tips for Parents and Educators 

As your students and kids get older, they want freedom both online and offline. What can you actually do to support teens in their online journey? Let’s talk practical, real-world steps—the kind you can start right away: 

1. Set Boundaries—As a Family 

Every family (or classroom) is different, so make screen time limits, privacy settings and rules for posting a team effort. Involving teens in these decisions helps them buy in and make smarter choices on their own. What feels fair? What worries them? These are great questions to talk through together.  

But also know that with Teen Accounts, teens are automatically placed into the most protective safety and privacy settings on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger by default. We’ve heard clearly that parents want help setting healthy boundaries. Teen Accounts have built-in protections which limit who can contact them, the content they see and how much time they’re spending online—all designed to address parents’ top concerns and give them peace of mind. We also turn on Sleep Mode automatically for Teen Accounts, meaning we mute notifications to DMs. This is designed to help teens set boundaries and avoid distractions at night. Sleep Mode will be turned on between 10 pm and 7 am, which will mute notifications overnight and send auto-replies to DMs. We’ll automatically place teens into Teen Accounts, and teens under 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any of these settings to be less strict. 

2. Get to Know the Apps 

Spend some time on the apps your teens are using to better understand their experiences online. By having a better understanding of how the platforms work—and how your teen uses them—you can have more engaged and informed conversations with your teen about how you both use your favorite apps, what you like about them and what may concern you.  

A great place for more information is the Parents and Guardians Guide to Instagram which we developed in collaboration with National PTA. The guide covers everything from how Instagram works to advice on how to have conversations with your teens about social media use. The guide features tools like Hidden Words, which filters potentially offensive comments, and daily time limit reminders which are set at 60 minutes by default for Teen Accounts. 

3. Keep Lines of Communication Open  

If your teen suddenly seems “off” or something just feels different, an open and understanding conversation can make all the difference. Make sure your teen knows they can always come to you without fear of judgement, as we know the fear of getting in trouble can often stop teens asking trusted adults for help. In collaboration with Childhelp, we developed a curriculum to help parents, educators and teens themselves spot when they or someone they know might be dealing with an online safety issue, and where to go for help. 

Resources on Meta’s Family Center 

At Meta, we’ve built Meta’s Family Center, a one stop shop for parents and educators to find clear, up-to-date guidance and tools to help your teen build healthy online habits.  

• Parental Supervision Tools. With your teen’s OK, you can set up supervision which, among other things, lets you set time limits and schedule breaks, see who your teen follows and is followed by and who they’ve been chatting with in the last week. 

• Education Hub. Need conversation starters or expert advice about screen time, tough content or digital boundaries? We’ve got easy-to-read resources and timely tips that are updated regularly. 

• Step-by-Step Guides. Not sure how to report something or tighten up privacy? No problem—our guides walk you through everything, step by step.

We’re committed to continuing to improve these resources to make sure they’re as helpful as possible, and we always welcome feedback—which is why we love hearing directly from communities within National and Local PTA.  

As you and your teens navigate the excitement—and maybe some nerves—of a new school year, remember that keeping conversations open, and taking advantage of resources like Meta’s Family Center puts you in the best possible spot to help teens thrive—whether they’re learning in the classroom or connecting with friends and interested online.   

Disclosure: Meta contributes funding to National PTA in support of PTA Connected, an initiative by National PTA that addresses digital safety and wellbeing, access, equity, and cybersecurity. National PTA does not endorse any entity, product, or service. No endorsement is implied.