Meta is taking on the task of controlling young people’s access and interactions: It will now cover anyone under the age of 16 who uses Instagram in a new account type. will have parental lock by defaultThe so-called “teen accounts” will be tied to parents, and they’ll be the ones who can authorize what their kids do on Instagram.

With Instagram evolving from a purely photographic application to a multi-content social network, its user base has not only increased exponentially (currently 1.4 billion), but also in terms of diversity. At first we thought it was those who wanted to share our photos, now it is those who want to follow their favorite influencers or, more simply, those who want to stay in touch with their friends. And this is a danger for minors.

Instagram to include people under 16 on youth-oriented accounts

Usage restrictions on teen accounts. Instagram image

Until now, Instagram offered parents a set of controls to manage their children’s profiles remotely, but it was said that the management was under the discretion of adults. To avoid the privacy and security risks posed to children, Meta has changed its control policy.

As announced by Instagram, Meta is creating new accounts for young people, with the idea of ​​adapting the content and capabilities of the social network to the needs of young people and their parents. These accounts will offer a range of parental controls that moderators can access. Although yes will not be optional.

The new teen accounts will automatically be enabled for all Instagram users who are 16 or younger. And they’ll have all these parental controls in place by default:

• Default private accounts. Teens will need to manually approve new followers. Those who don’t follow teens won’t be able to see their content or interact with them. And parents will get reports on all of these actions.
• Messaging restrictionsMinors can only receive messages from people they follow or are already connected to.
• Fine content control. Instagram restricts access most strictly, limiting access to sensitive content in Explore and Reels.
• Limited interactions. Teens can only be tagged or mentioned on Instagram by people they follow. Instagram is activating a “Hidden Words” function to filter out offensive comments and messages.
• Time limit reminders. They will receive a notification to exit the app after 60 minutes of use.
• Sleep mode activated. Notifications will be turned off between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM the next day. Instagram will automatically respond to direct messages stating that the minor is unavailable.

Once the teen account is up and running, parents will have access to disable the usage controls on Instagram. Remotely and from the main app, all this so that minors can use Meta services much more safely. But of course, the option to open a new account without registering age will always be available: automatic teen profile Only valid for persons who declare that they are 16 years of age or younger..

Instagram will begin enabling teen accounts today, with notifications to those users starting next week. The change will be rolled out to the US, UK, Canada and Australia in the first 60 days. Meta promises teen accounts will reach Europe by the end of 2024 and will be rolled out to the rest of the world starting in January 2025.

Cover image | Created mid-trip

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