Instagram gives parents more control over teen accounts

Meta, parent company of the social media platform Instagram, has announced the launch of a new set of safety features specifically designed for teen users.

The new “teen accounts” will automatically place teens into a more protected environment, limiting who can contact them and the type of content they see.

These accounts will have a private setting by default, meaning that teens under 16 will need to approve new followers, a step towards preventing unwanted contact from strangers.

Additionally, strict messaging restrictions will be in place, allowing teens to only be messaged by people they follow or are already connected to.

The app will also automatically limit the type of sensitive content teens see, such as content that shows violence or promotes cosmetic procedures.

According to Rachel Rodgers, an associate professor of applied psychology at Northeastern University, these accounts showcase the importance of curating a teen-friendly online experience.

“Younger adolescents are more vulnerable as their skills are still emerging and require additional safeguards and protection. Overall, the settings are age-specific, with younger and older teens being offered different protections,” said Rodgers.

Furthermore, the ability to tag and mention these accounts can only be used by people that follow them, limiting their exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate content.

These teen accounts will also include time limit reminders, where the users will receive notifications after 60 minutes of daily usage, prompting them to take a break.

Additionally, a sleep mode feature will automatically mute notifications and send auto-replies to DMs during nighttime hours.

Through this new feature, parents will be able to have an increased oversight over their teen’s Instagram experience.

They will be able to view who their teen has messaged in the past seven days, set daily time limits, block their teen from using the app during specific time periods, and see the topics their teen is interested in.

Meta is taking steps to ensure that teens are placed into teen accounts even if they lie about their age.

The company is developing technology to help protect young users who may try to circumvent the age verification process.

“This technology will allow us to proactively find these teens and place them in the same protections offered by teen account settings,” said Meta.

Starting Tuesday, all new Instagram users under the age of 18 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia will automatically be placed into restrictive teen accounts.

Existing teen users will be migrated to these accounts over the next 60 days. In the European Union, the transition will take place later this year.