Instagram is taking a major step to protect its younger users by introducing Teen Accounts with enhanced privacy and safety features for users under 18. This move comes as social media platforms face increasing scrutiny over their impact on young people's mental health and online safety.
Key features of the new Teen Accounts include:
- Private by default: All teen accounts will be set to private, requiring approval for new followers.
- Restricted messaging: Only followers and connections can send direct messages to teens.
- Stricter content controls: The platform will limit exposure to sensitive content in Explore and Reels.
- Tagging limitations: Only followed accounts can tag or mention teen users.
- Screen time management: A Daily Limit feature encourages breaks after 60 minutes of use.
- Sleep Mode: Notifications are silenced between 10 PM and 7 AM to promote better sleep habits.
For users aged 16 and above, some settings can be adjusted independently. However, younger teens will need parental permission to modify these protective features.
Instagram is also enhancing its parental supervision tools, allowing parents to:
- View their teen's recent messaging contacts (without seeing message content)
- Monitor which topics their teen engages with most frequently
- Approve changes to privacy settings for users under 16
The rollout of Teen Accounts begins immediately for new users in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Existing teen users will be transitioned to these accounts within a week. The European Union will see the feature later this year, with global availability planned for January.
Meta, Instagram's parent company, acknowledges the challenge of age verification on the platform. To address this, they're developing AI-powered systems to detect potential age discrepancies based on user interactions and content.
This initiative represents a significant shift in how Instagram manages its younger user base, potentially affecting tens of millions of accounts. As social media's influence on youth continues to be a hot-button issue, it remains to be seen how effective these measures will be in creating a safer online environment for teens.
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| Instagram is launching new Teen Accounts with enhanced privacy features to protect younger users |