Instagram is taking steps to create safer online environments for its younger users following growing concerns about the impact of social media on children. With mounting public pressure and increased scrutiny from regulators, the platform has introduced new default settings for teen accounts aimed at limiting exposure to harmful content and enhancing parental control.
Starting Tuesday, teens aged under 18 who sign up for Instagram will automatically have their accounts set to private. This change means their posts and videos won’t be accessible to anyone who is not accepted as a follower. For existing account holders, these new restrictions will be implemented over the next two months. Young users within the European Union can expect these changes later this year.
Meta, Instagram's parent company, recognizes the challenge of accurately determining user ages, as it acknowledges the possibility of misrepresentation. To combat this, it's amplifying efforts to verify ages. This could involve new technologies to help detect whether users are truthful about their age or if they might be underage even when they provide adult birthdates, according to internal sources.
What's new for teen users? Well, under these updated guidelines, private messaging will be restricted; teens will be able to receive messages only from those they follow or who follow them back. There will also be heightened filters for sensitive content, limiting exposure to graphic or potentially harmful material, such as videos featuring violence or content promoting cosmetic procedures.
Alongside these content restrictions, Instagram is also aiming to cut down on screen time with some clever tactics. For example, teens will receive alerts if they've spent over 60 minutes scrolling through their feeds—and they can dismiss these alerts, of course. To promote healthier habits, Instagram will also activate sleep mode for all accounts belonging to underage users, which will mute notifications and send automatic replies to messages from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
The new measures are meant to ease the worries parents have voiced about their children encountering unwanted content, receiving unsolicited messages, or spending excessive time on the app. Naomi Gleit, Meta's head of product, shared these insights, saying, "The three concerns we’re hearing from parents are… there's content they don’t want to see, contact they don’t want to be contacted by, or time spent on the app.”
While Meta’s announcement has garnered some positive responses, others remain skeptical. Critics suggest the updates fall short and leave too much responsibility on parents rather than addressing the core issues at play. The non-profit organization Accountable Tech has labeled Instagram's efforts as inadequate, arguing for independent oversight rather than self-regulation.
The timing of the changes coincides with several lawsuits against Meta from various U.S. states, which aim to hold the company accountable for the alleged negative impacts of its platforms on youth mental health. Concerns surrounding the addictive nature of social media applications, including Instagram, and their effects on young people continue to surface.
Despite the backlash, analysts believe the financial effects of these adjustments on Meta might be minimal. Experts anticipate the restrictions may lead teens to use Instagram less at first, but engagement levels should stabilize over time as users learn to navigate the new guidelines. Emarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg remarked, “Even as Meta continues to prioritize teen safety, it’s unlikely… to cause a major financial hit.”
Lawmakers are expressing cautious optimism. New York Attorney General Letitia James commented on Instagram’s enhancements, describing them as “an important first step,” but underscoring the necessity for additional measures to safeguard children from social media’s potential harms.
From the regulatory side, changes to the law, such as the Kids Online Safety Act, are also dawned as significant. Senator Marsha Blackburn noted the potential links between legislative developments and Instagram's latest updates, questioning whether these changes were merely timed for appearances.
The efficacy of the new features remains to be seen. For example, federal and state officials demand more substantial actions, particularly around data mining and user privacy. Critics point out loopholes, questioning whether these new measures will effectively deter sophisticated users from bypassing restrictions.
For parents wishing to restrict their teen’s access even more rigorously, they now have the option to enable supervisory controls. This feature will allow parents to monitor who their teen has messaged over the past week without delving deep to see actual conversations. Parents can also establish time limits, which the app will enforce automatically. If exceeded, the teen will be locked out until the following day.
The level of monitoring will depend on the teen's age; those under 16 require parental approval to modify these restrictions. For older teens, the responsibility shifts back to them, giving them the power to switch off some of the safety measures, though parental guidance remains available via the family-center settings.
While Meta’s prior attempts to address youth mental health have met criticism for insufficient changes, this latest update aims to empower parents. The hope is to provide them with the tools for more effective engagement with their kids’ social media experiences. One challenge cited by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is the speed at which technology evolves, placing unexpected pressures on parents trying to navigate this digital world with their children.
Instagram seems committed to promoting these new guidelines, making enrollment automatic for teens who sign up starting now. Users under 18 will automatically be categorized under these new restricted accounts. Existing users can expect to transition by mid-November.
