Instagram has announced restrictive privacy settings for younger users on the social media platform, including mandatory “Teen Accounts” and parental controls limiting what children can view, as the Meta-owned firm faces scrutiny and accusations of failing to protect children on the app.
The Meta-owned company has faced accusations of failing to protect children on the social media platform.
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Key Takeaways
- The accounts of all Instagram users younger than 18 will be made private by default and turned into “Teen Accounts” within 60 days in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, the company said.
- The new account type will feature new privacy settings and restrictions, among others: “Teen Accounts” will only be able to message people they follow or are already connected to, they will be placed in “sleep mode” between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. to promote sleep and they include the app’s “most restrictive” tier of settings for viewing sensitive content.
- Any 16- or 17-year-old user can change their settings, though anyone under 16 is required to have parental permission through the parent’s Instagram account, according to the company.
- Parents will also have new supervision tools, including a feature allowing them to see which accounts their children are messaging—but they won’t be able to view the messages.
- If a teen attempts to avoid the restrictions by changing their birthday on the platform, Instagram said it will use artificial intelligence to “proactively find these teens” and place them into more restricted accounts.
Crucial Quote
Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s chief executive, told the New York Times it’s likely the new changes will affect the app’s popularity among teens: “It’s definitely going to hurt teen growth and teen engagement, and there’s lots of risk,” adding Instagram is “willing to take risks, to move us forward and to make progress.”
What To Watch For
The new restrictions will be launched in the E.U. later this year and globally starting early next year, Instagram said.
Key Background
Instagram has proposed restrictions for younger users on the social media platform for years. The company previously proposed “Instagram Youth,” a version of the app for children under 13, though that plan was reportedly discarded in 2021. That same year, Instagram said it would make new accounts for users under 16 private by default while still allowing those users to switch to public accounts without permission. The social media platform already prohibits all users under 13 from using the app, and Instagram removes underage accounts when it learns of them.
Tangent
Instagram and its parent firm Meta have been scrutinized by lawmakers and parents in recent years over the effects of social media on children. More than 30 attorneys general sued Meta in October, alleging the company was exploiting children on Instagram for profit and that Meta had “profoundly altered the psychological and social realities” for younger Americans. The New Mexico Attorney General’s office sued Meta in December, alleging the company created a “marketplace for predators” on Instagram and Facebook and failed to protect younger users from harmful content. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to the victims of sexual exploitation on social media platforms, saying, “No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered.” Meta previously said it was developing technology and strengthening a task force dedicated to online safety on its platforms, adding it was taking allegations over its policies “very seriously.”
