Privacy settings for teen users of Facebook and Instagram are being tightened in a bid to better protect children from predators. Parent firm Meta said it is also trialling new tools to stop ‘sextortion’ and the sharing of intimate images.

The firm outlined its plans via a blog post. Tighter default settings kick in from today.

The move comes as younger users leave the platform for other social media apps, with TikTok gaining rapidly and Meta over the last 12 months feeling intensifying heat from regulators and investors.

Locally the firm is shedding staff fast – many of whom have been with the company for years. The firm two weeks ago confirmed it will cull 13 per cent of its global workforce amid a wave of tech layoffs.