Meta Adds Parental Controls to Threads Despite Internal Research Showing Limited Effect

Meta added parental supervision to Threads on July 21, 2026 — time limits, overnight sleep mode, and privacy controls via Family Center, rolling out in the U.S. the week of July 27. In February 2026, Meta's own research found these tool categories do not effectively curb teens' compulsive social media use. Threads has 500 million monthly users.