Finally, Instagram has announced that it will be bringing in a new feature, Teen Accounts, in response to the safety concerns many had for children and teenagers using the media sharing platform.
These accounts come with automatic settings that control who can interact with teens and the type of content they are exposed to. For teens under 16, parental permission is required to change any of these built-in protections.
These accounts are aimed at helping teens engage with Instagram while avoiding harmful or inappropriate interactions. They are also designed to give parents peace of mind, knowing their children are browsing safely.
How Do Instagram Teen Accounts Work?
Teen Accounts are set to private by default, so teens need to approve any follow requests they receive manually. This helps with limiting contact with any strange accounts, and control who sees their posts. Messaging options are also restricted, only allowing contact from people teens are already connected with on the platform.
With this, the platform also now automatically limits the content teens see by removing sensitive and/or inappropriate content their pages. Parents are able to control these setting, and can make changes to secure the children’s accounts further, if needed.
What Features Make These Accounts Different?
Teen Accounts provide protections that aim to shield younger users from online risks. One major feature is the interaction limit, which only allows teens to be tagged or mentioned by people they follow. This helps reduce the chance of being targeted by unwanted attention. Other features are:
Sleep mode settings– Notifications are muted and automatic replies to direct messages are sent between 22:00 and 07:00 to promote better sleep habits.
Screen time reminders– Teens receive alerts to encourage them to stop using the app after they’ve been active for 60 minutes in a day.
How Does Instagram Confirm Age Compliance?
Instagram has also made sure its age verification process is stronger, as a way to catch cases where teens may try to lie about their ages- something that often happens. The platform now needs a proof of age, either through video selfies or identification, in cases where a user’s age might be in question.
The platform is also using technology to find teen accounts, even if they register using a false birthday. This helps make sure that younger users are placed into the correct account type with the appropriate protections.
“Given that parents today are grappling with the benefits and challenges of the internet and digital media for their teens, our association applauds Meta for launching Instagram Teen Accounts.
“With teens automatically placed in Teen Accounts and certain privacy settings turned on by default, this update demonstrates that Meta is taking steps to empower parents and deliver safer, more age-appropriate experiences on the platform,” says Yvonne Johnson, President, National PTA.
Dr. Megan Moreno, Co-Medical Director of the SAMHSA-Funded AAP Centre of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health added, “It’s important that safety and privacy protections are the default settings, both to improve teens’ online experience and to reduce some of the burden that has fallen to parents. We look forward to hearing from teens about their experience of these new Teen Accounts and associated features and settings.”
