Instagram teen accounts will limit contact and content

Meta announced its new Instagram teen accounts today. The protections for under-16s on the social media platform will begin to roll out immediately for new users.

Users with teen accounts will be limited in who can contact them and what content they can see. Teenagers will need their parents to approve any changes to these default settings.

These accounts will be private as standard, with users required to approve anyone who wants to follow them. They will only be able to receive messages from accounts they already follow.

Sensitive content will be limited to Instagram’s most restrictive band, which blocks content including fighting and cosmetic procedures. The app’s anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, will also be turned on to hide offensive words from comment sections and DMs.

Finally, the social media giant will send out notifications after an hour of daily usage to ask users to leave. A sleep mode will be automatically enabled between 10pm and 7am each night, turning off notifications.

Hi Today we’re introducing Teen Accounts, a new experience for teens with built-in safety features, plus more ways to see content you like.

Tap through for more info https://t.co/rzkXknlMGa pic.twitter.com/YSRYxQkfpa

— Instagram (@instagram) September 17, 2024

Additional supervision tools

On top of this, parents can gain even further supervision on their children’s social media.

They will be able to see who their child has been speaking to but not the content of any messages. Parents can also view the topics their child is interested in.

Additionally, they can impose daily time limits for Instagram usage and block their teen from accessing the app at specific times, like at night.

Instagram says it will be asking teens to verify their ages more frequently, “like if they attempt to use a new account with an adult birthday”. The company also says it is trialing technology that can detect accounts owned by teenagers even if they have adult birthdays attached to them.

Teen accounts will start rolling out from today (Sept. 17) for those who create new accounts. Teenagers who already have Instagram accounts will be notified and moved into teen accounts from next week, Meta says.

“Instagram Teen Accounts reflect the importance of tailoring teens’ online experiences to their developmental stages, and implementing appropriate protections. Younger adolescents are more vulnerable as their skills are still emerging and require additional safeguards and protection.” said Rachel Rodgers, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Applied Psychology, at Northeastern University.

In the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, under 16s will be in teen accounts in 60 days. It will roll out to the European Union later this year, with the rest of the world following suit in January. Teen accounts will come to other Meta platforms in 2025.

Feature image credit: Instagram

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