Instagram Introduces Teen Accounts: A Safer, More Guided Experience for Teens

Today, Instagram has rolled out a new feature called Instagram Teen Accounts, specifically designed to provide a safer and more controlled online environment for teenagers. This new experience includes built-in protections that limit who can contact teens and the content they see, while also offering new ways for teens to explore their interests. Teens under 16 will automatically be placed into Teen Accounts, and any changes to these settings to make them less strict will require parental permission.

Reimagining Teens’ Experiences on Instagram

Instagram understands that parents want assurance that their teenagers can use social media to connect with friends and explore their interests without encountering unsafe or inappropriate content. In response to these concerns, Instagram has introduced Teen Accounts, aiming to support parents and provide peace of mind. These accounts come with features that allow teens to select topics of interest, ensuring they see more of the content they enjoy while maintaining a positive online experience.

Built-In Protections to Address Parents’ Top Concerns

The development of Teen Accounts has been guided by input from both parents and teens to address the most pressing concerns. The automatic protections cover various aspects of online safety:

• Private Accounts: Teens will have private accounts by default, requiring them to approve new followers. This setting ensures that their content is only visible to approved followers.
  
• Messaging Restrictions: Teens can only receive messages from people they follow or are already connected with, providing a layer of protection against unsolicited messages.
  
• Sensitive Content Restrictions: Teens will be placed in the most restrictive setting of Instagram’s sensitive content control. This limits exposure to content depicting violence or promoting cosmetic procedures.
  
• Limited Interactions: Teens can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow. Additionally, the most restrictive version of the anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, will be enabled to filter out offensive language in comments and direct messages.
  
• Time Limit Reminders: Teens will receive notifications to leave the app after 60 minutes of daily use.
  
• Sleep Mode Enabled: Notifications will be muted from 10 PM to 7 AM, and auto-replies will be sent to direct messages during these hours.
  
  
  
  Yvonne Johnson, President of the National PTA, praised the initiative, stating, "Meta’s launch of Instagram Teen Accounts demonstrates a commitment to empowering parents and providing safer, age-appropriate experiences on the platform."
  
  

  How To Approve Changes To a Teen’s Settings
  

  
  For teens under 16, any changes to the default protective settings will require parental permission. To facilitate this, teens will need to set up parental supervision on Instagram. This feature allows parents to approve or deny any changes to the settings. Parents can also opt for more oversight for their older teens (16+), ensuring they can control the settings regardless of their teen’s age.
  
  Once parental supervision is established, parents can manage their teen’s account settings directly, providing an additional layer of protection. For more details on managing Teen Accounts, visit Instagram’s help center.
  
  Rachel Rodgers, PhD, Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at Northeastern University, emphasized the importance of age-specific settings, noting that younger adolescents require additional safeguards due to their developmental stage.
  
  

  More Ways for Parents To Get Involved, If They Want
  

  
  While Teen Accounts come with automatic protections, Instagram is also enhancing its supervision features to give parents more involvement in their teen’s online activities. These updates include:
  
  

• Insights into Messaging: Parents will be able to see who their teen has messaged in the past seven days, although they won’t be able to read the messages.
  
• Daily Time Limits: Parents can set total daily time limits for their teen’s Instagram usage. Once the limit is reached, the teen will no longer be able to access the app.
  
• Blocking Usage Periods: Parents can block their teens from using Instagram during specific time periods, such as at night.
  
• Viewing Topics: Parents can see the topics their teen has chosen to follow, ensuring the content aligns with their interests and is age-appropriate.
  
  
  
  

  How We’re Enforcing Teen Accounts
  

  
  To ensure that teens are using the appropriate settings, Instagram will require age verification in more areas, such as when setting up a new account with an adult birthdate. Instagram is also developing technology to proactively identify accounts that belong to teens, even if they list an adult birthdate. This technology will help place these accounts into the protective Teen Account settings. Testing for this feature will begin in the US early next year.
  
  

  Helping Ensure Teens See Age-Appropriate Content
  

  
  Instagram is committed to ensuring that teens do not encounter mature or inappropriate content on the platform. The platform has stricter rules for the content that teens can see, removing any content that violates these rules and avoiding recommendations for sensitive content. With Teen Accounts, teens will be placed in the strictest setting of the sensitive content control, significantly reducing the likelihood of encountering such content.
  
  Dr. Megan Moreno, Co-Medical Director of the SAMHSA-Funded AAP Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, highlighted the importance of default safety and privacy protections, noting that these measures can improve teens’ online experiences and reduce the burden on parents.
  
  

  When To Expect These Changes
  

  
  Starting today, new teen sign-ups on Instagram will be placed into Teen Accounts. Existing teen users will be notified about the changes, and the migration to Teen Accounts will begin next week. The rollout will be completed within 60 days in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with the European Union following later this year. Global implementation will start in January, and other Meta platforms will see similar updates next year. These significant updates aim to enhance the Instagram experience for millions of teens, ensuring they work correctly before a broader rollout.
  
  Lucy Thomas OAM, CEO & Co-Founder of Project Rockit, commended the balanced approach of the Teen Accounts, stating that it empowers parents with essential oversight while respecting teens’ rights to explore and engage meaningfully online.
  
  For more information, you can visit the original announcement.