Worried about what your kids might be up to on social media? If so, Meta’s continued crackdown on teen safety might come as a relief. The company announced Tuesday that, starting immediately, it’s expanding its Instagram Teen Accounts to other platforms, specifically, Facebook and Messenger.

It also announced additional built-in protections for Instagram Teen Accounts. These will prevent children under the age of 16 from going live on the platform or turning off blurred images, which protect against suspected nudity in direct messages, without parental permission.

Meta first launched Instagram Teen Accounts back in September 2024, in a bid to make the platform a safer place for kids and provide more oversight and supervision options for parents. In an update on Tuesday, the company said it had switched 54 million accounts to become Teen Accounts so far, with more to go. The accounts offer built-in protections, including being set to private by default and a hidden words feature, which will automatically filter out problematic comments and DM requests.

With parental agreement, some of these features can be switched off, but Meta said that so far 97% of teens aged between 13 and 15 had kept the default safeguards in place. In a Meta-commissioned survey undertaken by Ipsos, the company said that 94% of parents found the protections helpful, with 85% saying it made it easier to have positive experiences on Instagram. The company didn’t say how many parents it surveyed, or where they were situated.

Child safety: Who is responsible?

Children’s safety campaigners have been asking social media companies for years to make their platforms safer for kids, and while progress has been slow, Meta’s recognition that teens need different protections than adults to the extent that they require a different kind of account has been an important breakthrough. Other platforms have followed suit, with TikTok introducing new parental controls last month.

But at the same time as introducing teen accounts, Meta has come under fire for rolling back safety protections elsewhere on its platforms. Just this week, the company has ceased its fact-checking program and more broadly it’s also scanning for harmful content in order to promote more free speech.

«In recent months, it has been deeply concerning to see Meta roll back on their duty to protect children,» said Matthew Sowemimo, associate head of policy for child safety online at UK children’s charity the NSPCC over email. «While their move to expand these safety features to both Facebook and Messenger is welcome, more work must be done to ensure children have positive experiences online — including on both private and public parts of these platforms.»

For the changes brought about by the introduction of teen accounts to be most effective, they should be combined with proactive measures to reduce harmful content across Meta’s platforms, Sowemimo added. «While safety settings play an important role in preventing online harm, we know changes to account settings can result in accountability falling onto children and parents to keep themselves safe online,» he said.

If you’ve spent any time online since the Minecraft movie debuted, chances are you’ve seen the term «Chicken Jockey» flying around. What started as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo has quickly turned into the film’s most talked-about moment, dominating Reddit threads, TikTok trends and YouTube reaction videos, with frenzied merchandise resales to top it all off.

The internet has gone all-in on a baby zombie riding a chicken. It’s a quirky, deep-cut reference pulled straight from Minecraft lore, but it’s now the centerpiece of a social media (and real-life) frenzy.

The Chicken Jockey has gone from obscure Minecraft trivia to full-blown pop culture icon in just days. But what exactly is a Chicken Jockey, where did it come from, and why does it resonate so strongly with fans of both the game and the movie?

What is a Minecraft Chicken Jockey?

A Minecraft Chicken Jockey is a rare hostile mob (Minecraft lingo for monster) in the game, formed when a baby zombie appears riding a chicken. It’s one of the stranger and less common creatures in Minecraft, and because of its rarity, it’s a fan-favorite Easter egg for veteran players. 

In the 2025 Minecraft movie, the Chicken Jockey makes a brief but memorable appearance. The film references its rarity, and that relatively small scene has exploded online, especially among fans who recognize the deep-cut reference.

What is the Chicken Jockey scene in the Minecraft movie?

The Chicken Jockey scene in the Minecraft movie isn’t very long or important. In reality, it’s probably worth little more than a chuckle. But people absolutely love it. And it’s easily understood without having seen the movie. For context, at one point, Garrett «The Garbage Man» Garrison (played by Jason Momoa) is forced into a boxing ring with a chicken.

«They want me to fight the chicken,» he states, while a baby zombie drops down from a crate lowered from the ceiling. The grinning zombie lands on the chicken while giggling.

«Chicken Jockey!» a wary Steve (played by Jack Black) warns, as the baby zombie coos and charges at Garrison, knocking him into the ropes. And scene. 

Why did the Chicken Jockey scene go viral?

For Minecraft fans, this is a rare and oddly satisfying Easter egg. This mob isn’t seen often in-game, so it was a fun, tongue-in-cheek nod to those in the know.

Moviegoers have reported rather rowdy experiences at screenings with fans singing and chanting along with the characters, especially with this scene. We’ve seen stories of spontaneous applause, kids chanting «Chicken Jockey!,» and makeshift cosplay. But it’s only escalated from there.

The viral moment hit a new level when @DiscussingFilm posted to X (formerly Twitter), reporting that police had to remove several kids from a theater during a Minecraft screening due to their response to the Chicken Jockey’s appearance. The crowd erupted into such loud cheering, shouting and laughter that the screening was disrupted, and staff called the police to restore order. 

It appears the trend is picking up steam across the country and at various screenings, with social media evidence to show popcorn being thrown at screens, loud screaming and other disruptive behavior. Put simply, Chicken Jockey has people freaking out. 

Minecraft Chicken Jockey merchandise: Popcorn buckets, Lego sets and more

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Minecraft Chicken Jockey is driving a remarkable wave of merchandise demand. Fans are scrambling for collectibles ranging from exclusive theater popcorn buckets to McDonald’s toys.

One of the most sought-after items is the Cinemark-exclusive popcorn bucket and drink cup, which features the Chicken Jockey and is only available in limited quantities. It’s already being resold for as much as $150 on eBay. The trend extends to Lego as well. The Lego Minecraft Woodland Mansion Fighting Ring includes a Chicken Jockey minifigure, and fans have been quick to buy it following the movie’s release.

McDonald’s has also released Minecraft toys through its adult meal promotions, though the Chicken Jockey doesn’t appear in the standard Happy Meal lineup. Some adult meals come with boxed collectibles tied to the film, and photos have circulated online, but no direct retail link exists for the Chicken Jockey toy at this time. It’s clear that, at least for now, Chicken Jockey merchandise has become one of the year’s most unexpected movie collectible trends.

There are tons of digital payment apps for sending money to friends, family or for paying for services, but if you’ve been using the Zelle mobile app, you’ll need to find something new. The service decided to shutter its free app on April 1.

That doesn’t mean you can’t use Zelle altogether. Zelle has only discontinued its standalone app, so you can still send money using Zelle if your bank belongs to the Zelle network. You’ll just need to do it through your bank’s app or website. You also have other services to choose from. Here’s what you need to know about this change and your options moving forward.

Why the Zelle app is shutting down

When Zelle launched in 2017, only about 60 US financial institutions offered the service by the end of that year. Today, that number exceeds 2,200. As a result, less than 2% of Zelle transactions occur through the standalone app. Zelle has been phasing out the ability to make transactions on its mobile app since October 2024.

«Today, the vast majority of people using Zelle to send money use it through their financial institution’s mobile app or online banking experience, and we believe this is the best place for Zelle transactions to occur,» Zelle said in an October 2024 press release. 

In December, Zelle was in the spotlight when the Consumer Financial Protected Bureau sued the company and three of the largest US banks for failing to protect consumers from widespread fraud on the peer-to-peer payment network. The lawsuit has since been dropped.

Other ways to send money digitally

You can still use Zelle through your bank’s app or website if it belongs to the Zelle network, which includes Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, TD Bank, PNC Bank and Citi.

You can also switch to another digital payment app, such as:

• Apple Wallet
• Cash App
• PayPal
• Venmo

Take some basic precautions when using Zelle or any other digital payment service. These apps are a frequent target for scammers, and Chase Bank has started blocking some Zelle payments it believes could be fraudulent. Only send money to people you know and trust, and watch for red flags like an urgent message claiming to be from your bank or an online ad for concert tickets that seem impossibly cheap.