This week, Meta launched Instagram Teen Accounts, a new experience designed to provide teens with safer online interactions while giving parents greater peace of mind. These accounts will automatically place teens into built-in protections, limiting who can contact them, what content they see, and encouraging positive engagement on the platform.
Prioritizing Teen Safety
Instagram Teen Accounts were developed with both teens and parents in mind. The new protections address key concerns, including online interactions, exposure to sensitive content, and time management. Teens under 16 will require parental permission to adjust any of these settings to be less strict, ensuring additional safeguards.
Teens will automatically be placed in private accounts, limiting who can view their content and interact with them. Messaging and content restrictions are also set to ensure teens are only interacting with trusted individuals and seeing appropriate content. Teens will also receive reminders to limit their screen time and notifications will be muted during nighttime hours to encourage healthy usage habits.
Parental Oversight and Permissions
For younger teens, Instagram Teen Accounts require parental approval for any changes to default protections. Even parents of older teens can choose to enable supervision to manage their teen’s settings. Parents will have access to a new suite of tools, allowing them to set daily usage limits, block Instagram during specific periods, and view the topics their teen is interested in.
According to Yvonne Johnson, President of the National PTA, “These changes show Meta is taking steps to empower parents and deliver safer, more age-appropriate experiences on the platform.”
Enforcing Teen Protections
Meta is also enhancing its technology to prevent teens from lying about their age. The platform will proactively identify teen users attempting to set up accounts with adult birthdays, placing them in the same protections offered by Teen Account settings.
Rachel Rodgers, PhD, Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at Northeastern University, highlighted the importance of age-specific protections: “Younger adolescents require additional safeguards as they navigate online spaces. Instagram’s new Teen Accounts offer these protections while allowing teens to explore their interests safely.”
Rollout Timeline
Starting today, new Instagram users under 18 will be placed into Teen Accounts, with notifications going out to existing teen users over the next week. The feature will be rolled out in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia within 60 days, with additional global rollouts in 2024.
These updates mark a significant step toward creating safer, age-appropriate experiences for teens on Instagram, offering a balanced approach that protects teens while encouraging meaningful and positive engagement.
Lucy Thomas, CEO of Project Rockit, praised the move, stating, “This update ensures that young people can engage meaningfully and safely, fostering positive connections while still providing the protection they need.”
