Instagram is now making teen accounts private by default to enhance safety for children on the platform amidst concerns about social media’s impact on young people’s mental health.
Teens under 18 signing up for Instagram in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia will be placed in restrictive teen accounts, with existing accounts being migrated over the next 60 days.
The big picture: Meta is implementing measures to verify teenagers’ ages to prevent them from pretending to be adults on the platform and converting them into restricted teen accounts automatically.
- Teen accounts will feature restricted private messaging, limited sensitive content, notifications for time spent on the app, and a “sleep mode” that turns off notifications during the night.
- Parents will have enhanced control over their children’s Instagram accounts, with options to modulate settings, set up parental supervision, and approve less restrictive settings for teens under 16.
Driving the news: The introduction of teen accounts comes as Meta faces lawsuits alleging harm to young people and contributing to a youth mental health crisis through addictive platform features on Instagram and Facebook.
- The company’s previous efforts on teen safety and mental health have faced criticism for not going far enough, but the new changes provide parents with more oversight options and incentives to set up parental supervision.
