Instagram has launched a new Teen Accounts feature to improve safety and privacy for users under 18. This initiative responds to growing concerns about social media’s impact on young people’s mental health.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced the changes, which will automatically convert existing accounts for users under 18 into Teen Accounts within 60 days, ensuring that new users fall into this category from the start.
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Instagram Teen Accounts: Key Features
The Teen Accounts feature includes several built-in protections designed to create a safer online environment for younger users. All accounts under 16 will default to private, allowing only approved followers to view their content. Additionally, teens can only message individuals they follow, limiting interactions with strangers. Parents will also gain access to tools that allow them to monitor their teens’s messaging activity and the topics they engage with on the platform.
Another significant aspect of Teen Accounts is introducing a “sleep mode,” which restricts access to Instagram between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. This feature aims to encourage healthier sleep habits among teens by reducing screen time during late hours. Furthermore, the app will implement stricter content settings, limiting exposure to potentially inappropriate material in areas like Reels and Explore.
Parental control and oversight
In response to parent concerns about their children’s online safety, Instagram has developed these new features. Instagram will allow parents to view some of the accounts their adolescent child has successfully communicated with through messaging and customise several settings to their preferred modes. For instance, parents must consent to allow their children to move from one private account to another.
In a recent interview, Antigone Davis, Meta’s head of safety, highlighted such changes, saying they consolidate information on how parents could regulate what their children interact with on Instagram. Meta is also working on ways to accurately determine users’ ages, as those who provide the wrong ages are put in protective categories.
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Meta addressing mental health concerns
Teen accounts are being launched at a time when there is growing concern about the impact of social media on teens’ mental health. People who spend more time interacting with others on social media platforms have been associated with other problems, such as anxiety, depression, and body image among teenagers. Given such evidence, several commentators have suggested that there needs to be higher standards for how platforms interact with young people.
Legal dealings have been made against Meta concerning the company’s operations and practices on social media regarding child protection. In this regard, the company has taken a step in increasing safety measures for younger users. The launch of Teen Accounts is one of Meta’s most extensive attempts at implementing a better world on the internet for teenagers and enabling them to interact with friends and pursue their passions.
With time, Instagram is transforming its platform, and the development of Teen Accounts is going ahead to ensure the safety of young users. This will make parents happy, knowing that their children are safe online.