Facebook launched a new feature called Parents Portal this week as part of its Safety Center. The tool provides a set of safety guidelines and resources to help parents teach young Facebook users to get a grip on the social media site.

The page includes information like a “Get to Know Facebook” section featuring simple how-to rundowns on blocking other users, following and unfollowing people, creating strong passwords and sharing content safely. Parents Portal also includes a section called “Parenting Tips” that include (often self-explanatory) information like “try to be a good role model” and “let your child know that the same rules apply online as apply offline.” However, perhaps most helpfully, the feature also includes a section for “expert advice,” including links to outside resources and advocacy groups.

While Parents Portal is designed to help adults educate their children on how to responsibly use social media, it’s important to note that it will not allow them to monitor or control kids’ accounts in any way. There are third party monitoring tools available for social media account monitoring.

Facebook is translating Parents Portal into 50 languages, so it’s clear the site believes it’s an important and useful tool. Some of the information included is extremely basic. If you dig deeper, the portal contains sound advice for teens or anyone wanting to better protect their Facebook privacy and security . With such a big push out, it’s clear that Facebook believes this tool could be a big help protecting kids online.

Image Credit: Facebook

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