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Supervision

Support your teen with supervision

Supervision adds tools and insights to automatic protections, giving parents of teens more oversight and a way to collaborate on safety settings.
Profile and audienceWho can see and interact with Sam's content
Profile and audienceWho can see and interact with Sam's content
Profile and audienceWho can see and interact with Sam's content
Profile and audienceWho can see and interact with Sam's content
Teen and adult smiling together in a kitchen. Image overlaid with graphics of profile visibility and message delivery settings.
Message deliveryWho can message Sam
Message deliveryWho can message Sam
Message deliveryWho can message Sam
Message deliveryWho can message Sam

Get started

Set up supervision together

For Facebook, Messenger and Instagram, Supervision is always optional — both parents and teens have to agree to participate. It must be in place for teens under 16 to make their settings less protective.

Step 1: Invite your teen
Step 2: Adjust privacy and safety settings
Step 3: Set up limits and boundaries
Step 4: Stay informed and get alerts
Their view: What your teen sees

Step 1: Invite your teen

Start by inviting your teen to supervision. They'll need to accept before it's active — or they can invite you instead.
Illustration showing how a parent or guardian can invite a teen to start supervision using the Meta Family Center.

Step 2: Adjust privacy and safety settings

Control who can message your teen, who can follow them and what content they see.
App interface showing safety settings options such as account privacy, interaction controls, content visibility, and time management.

Step 3: Set up limits and boundaries

Decide how much time your teen can spend online and when they should take breaks.
App interface showing options for setting sleep mode and daily limits, including blocking or reminding a teen to close the app.

Step 4: Stay informed and get alerts

See how much time your teen spends online, who they follow and get notified of key changes.
Dashboard showing time spent per day on devices with a bar graph and a notification about a teen's new contacts.

Their view: What your teen sees

Supervision is transparent — your teen always knows what you can see and manage. Teens can:
  • Preview what their parent sees
  • Get notified when parents adjust settings, like time limits or privacy controls
  • Request changes to privacy, messaging and screen time settings
  • Notify you when they report something
Bar graph showing what a parent or guardian can see of a supervised teen's daily average time online. Below that is an example of a phone notification telling the teen that the parent or guardian made a change.

Get started in app

Facebook logo
Supervision on Facebook
Messenger logo
Supervision on Messenger
Instagram logo
Supervision on Instagram
Meta logo
Supervision on Meta Horizon and Meta Quest

Flexible settings

Built for safety, designed for trust

Work with your teen to customize settings around who they interact with, the content they can see and screen time to support their safety and independence.

View contact & content settings

Teen holding a smartphone and smiling.

Collaborate on time limits

Teen and adult sitting on a couch, both smiling while using a phone.

Adjust settings as they grow

Teen smiling while using a phone while sitting on the couch.

Stay in the loop with notifications

Teen and adult sitting on a couch, both smiling while teen shows adult her phone.

Frequently asked questions

Your questions, answered


General FAQs

How do I set up parental supervision on Instagram, Facebook, Messenger or Meta Quest?You can set up supervision through Meta’s Family Center which is available in each app and guides you through linking your account with your teen’s. On Meta Horizon, users 10-12 years old are automatically enrolled in Supervision when their Meta Horizon account is created.
Can both parents supervise the same teen account?No, teens can only have one parent or guardian supporting their account. However, parents can support up to five accounts.
Can my teen turn off supervision?Teens can stop supervision, but you'll be notified immediately. This ensures transparency and trust.
Can I see private messages or chat history?No, supervision tools from Meta are designed to protect teen privacy. You can see insights like time spent and contact lists, but not message content.

Facebook and Messenger FAQs

Can I monitor the Facebook groups my teen joins?With supervision, you can see which groups your teen joins and stay updated on new group activity.
Can I control who sees my teen’s Facebook posts or profile?You can view and help manage privacy settings related to posts, profile visibility and friend requests.
Can I see who my teen is messaging on Messenger?You can view their contact list and see recent interactions, but not the content of private messages.
Can I limit who can message my teen on Messenger?Supervision lets you help manage who can contact your teen, including message request settings.

Instagram FAQs

Can I see who my teen follows on Instagram?Supervision lets you view who your teen follows and who follows them, helping you stay informed about their connections.
Can I limit what my teen sees in Explore or Reels on Instagram?Explore and Reels can't be fully customized, but you can see how much time your teen spends on Instagram and encourage positive use.
Will I be notified if my teen reports someone on Instagram?You'll get notifications when your teen shares reported content or accounts, giving you insight into potential safety concerns.

Meta Horizon and Meta Quest FAQs

Can I block games, apps or Worlds on my child’s Meta Quest headset?Yes, you can approve or restrict apps based on age ratings and content type.
How can I manage my child’s screen time on Meta Horizon and Meta Quest?You can set daily limits, schedule breaks, and view how long your teen spends in each app and across Worlds.
Is Supervision optional on Meta Horizon and Quest?Accounts for 10-12 year old users have Supervision automatically enabled. Supervision is optional for 13-17 year old users, but they’ll need it to request parent approval for access to content rated above their age.

Explore built in protections

Facebook logo

Built in protections on Facebook and Messenger

Learn more
Instagram logo

Built in protections on Instagram

Learn more
Meta logo

Built in protections on Meta Quest and Horizon

Learn more