Instagram Launches Teen Accounts with Enhanced Protections for Teens and Reassurance for Parents
Picture Credits: Meta
By Pavethran Batmanathen
With teens spending a significant amount of their time online, many parents are worried that social media exposes them to harmful content, such as cyberbullying, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts. Figures like U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Prince Harry have raised concerns about these dangers.
Critics acknowledge that Instagram’s updates are a positive step, but argue that the responsibility still falls largely on parents and teens, rather than the platform itself.
Restrictions for Teen Users:
Instagram prevents users under 13 from signing up. For teens, new accounts will automatically be set to private, requiring them to approve follower requests. Their posts and videos won’t be visible to strangers, and they’ll have stricter messaging limits, only receiving messages from followers. They’ll also have the highest content filtering, blocking sensitive topics like violent videos or cosmetic surgery posts. Anti-bullying features will be enhanced, filtering out offensive language in comments and messages.
Teens will be nudged to reduce screen time with notifications to take a break after an hour of use, though these reminders can be ignored. A sleep mode will also activate from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., muting notifications and sending auto-replies to messages, though teens can still browse the app if they wish.
Parental Controls and Workarounds:
While Instagram’s new protections are automatically enabled, teens aged 16 and 17 can turn them off, while those under 16 need parental approval. Parents can make changes via Instagram’s Family Center, allowing them to monitor who their teen interacts with, manage screen time, and block app access at certain times. Teens and parents must both opt into supervision, and either can revoke it anytime.
Instagram is also making it harder for teens to lie about their age by testing AI tools that can detect if a user is underage, even if their profile says otherwise. Teens must also invite parents to activate parental controls, and parents need to have an Instagram account to supervise effectively.
Parents unhappy with the current restrictions can set stricter limits through Instagram’s parental control features, including limiting daily screen time and blocking specific content topics.
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