Teen Safety Online: What Parents & Grandparents Need to Know

Raising teens in a digital world can feel overwhelming, especially when you didn’t grow up with social media yourself. In this episode of Over 50 & Flourishing, I’m joined by Antigone Davis, Meta’s Vice President and Global Head of Safety, for an important and reassuring conversation about teen safety, social media, and what parents and grandparents need to know in today’s digital world. Antigone has spent her career focused on protecting children and young people. With a background in education and law, she now leads global safety efforts at Meta, working with experts, NGOs, and policymakers to create safer online experiences for teens and families. Together, we talk honestly about the challenges parents face raising teens in a world of social media, smartphones, and AI. Antigone breaks down Meta’s teen safety tools, including built-in guardrails, parental supervision, time limits, and age-appropriate content, and explains how they are designed to support both connection and wellbeing. We also explore why teens may actually welcome boundaries more than we expect and how parents can start these conversations with confidence. In this episode, we discuss:How teen accounts work on Instagram, Facebook, and MessengerWhat the new 13+ content experience means for parentsHow parental supervision tools help without invading privacyManaging screen time, sleep, and late-night scrollingSocial media’s impact on teen mental healthWhat parents should know about AI and online safetyHow to create healthy digital boundaries through communication, not control Resources:Instagram Teen Accounts —now inspired by 13+ movie ratings—are designed to give parents peace of mind that their teens are safer with the right protections in place. Learn more about Instagram Teen Accounts at https://about.fb.com/news/2025/10/instagram-teen-accounts-pg-13-ratings/Support your family’s online experience with expert guidance and tools from Meta’s Family Center. Explore resources today, including Meta’s Screen Smart Program, at https://familycenter.meta.com.  Keep in Touch:Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dominiquesachse.tv/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://dominiquesachse.tv/book/Insta: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/dominiquesachse/Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/DominiqueSachse/TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@dominiquesachse?lang=enYouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@dominiquesachsetv Have a question for Dominique? Submit it here for a chance to have it answered on the show! https://forms.gle/MpTeWN1oKN8t18pm6  Interested in being featured as a guest? Please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠courtney@dominiquesachse.tv⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  We want to make the podcast even better. Help us learn how we can: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode. Produced by Dear Media. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.