Instagram Unveils New Anti-Bullying Features, Parental Access and Content Restrictions for Underage Users

instagram instagram safety feature social media

By Danielle Ong , Parent Herald Sep 18, 12:56 am

Photo: (Photo : Cottonbro studio/Pexels)

Instagram, a social media app popular among teens, recently unveiled sweeping changes to its platform as part of an effort to boost children's safety online.

Beginning Tuesday, Instagram plans to default all new and existing accounts belonging to people under the age of 18 to private mode in an effort called "Teen Accounts." Under this change, the account holder has the authority to approve who follows them. This will also allow them to limit who can see, like, or comment on their posts as only approved followers can view their feed.

Moreover, teenage users will no longer receive direct messages from people they do not follow.

Teens under 16 cannot change any of these settings without permission from their parents. However, teens aged 16 and 17 can opt out of the restrictions. That is according to a release from Meta, Instagram's parent company.

Other Safety Features for Teens

Besides placing new and existing accounts among teens private by default, Instagram said it will also restrict content shown to teenage users. Any sensitive content such as posts promoting cosmetic procedures and those containing sexually explicit or violent materials such as self-harm will no longer be shown to teens. This applies even if the content has been shared by someone they follow---a restriction similar to policies Meta previously announced.

Instead, teens will now be given the opportunity to select content themes they would like to see more of. For instance, arts- or sports-related posts.

Instagram will also introduce an anti-bullying feature that immediately filters out offensive comments or direct messages.

Furthermore, teens who set up new accounts with the plan to change their birth dates in an effort to circumvent the changes will be asked to verify their ages by submitting a video selfie for age-estimation analysis.

Parental Control Features

For parents, Instagram will be adding a new supervision feature that allows them to see how much time their child is spending on the platform as well as who their teenager has messaged recently.

Additionally, parents will also be able to set daily time limits or block their teens from using the platform during certain hours.

The changes will roll out to newly created accounts this week. Over the next two months, Instagram will apply the changes to all existing teen accounts in the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia. Teenage users in other countries should expect to see the changes beginning January 2025.