Meta platform, Instagram, has started rolling out Teen Accounts, which is specifically built to protect under-18 users by limiting who can contact them and the content they see.
This comes as a significant overhaul aimed at addressing growing concerns about the negative effects of social media on teenagers.
Announcing the rollout on Tuesday, Meta said it would automatically move all accounts belonging to under-18s to Instagram Teen Accounts, which will be private accounts by default.
Users of such accounts can only be messaged and tagged by accounts they follow or are already connected to, while sensitive content settings will be reduced to the most restrictive available.
Power to the parents
Meta said parents would get a suite of settings to monitor who their children are engaging with and limit their use of the app.
“We know parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences.
“We understand parents’ concerns, and that’s why we’re reimagining our apps for teens with new Teen Accounts. This new experience is designed to better support parents, and give them peace of mind that their teens are safe with the right protections in place,” Meta said.
Restrictions on the accounts
Aside from being private accounts by default, Instagram said there will also be several other restrictions on the Teens Accounts, which include:
- Messaging restrictions: Teens will be placed in the strictest messaging settings, so they can only be messaged by people they follow or are already connected to.
- Sensitive content restrictions: Teens will automatically be placed into the most restrictive setting of our sensitive content control, which limits the type of sensitive content (such as content that shows people fighting or promotes cosmetic procedures) teens see in places like Explore and Reels.
- Limited interactions: Teens can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow. We’ll also automatically turn on the most restrictive version of our anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, so that offensive words and phrases will be filtered out of teens’ comments and DM requests.
- Time limit reminders: Teens will get notifications telling them to leave the app after 60 minutes each day.
- Sleep mode enabled: Sleep mode will be turned on between 10 PM and 7 AM, which will mute notifications overnight and send auto-replies to DMs.
Meta said it will place the identified users into teen accounts within 60 days in the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia, and in the European Union later this year. Teens around the world will start to get teen accounts in January.
What you should know
Several studies have linked social media use to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities, particularly in young users.
- Meta, ByteDance’s TikTok, and Google’s YouTube already face hundreds of lawsuits filed on behalf of children and school districts about the addictive nature of social media. Last year, 33 U.S. states including California and New York sued the company for misleading the public about the dangers of its platforms.
- Top platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, allow users who are 13 years of age and above to sign up.
