Instagram Introduces Enhanced Safety Features for Teen Accounts

Instagram announced on Tuesday the introduction of Teen Accounts as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance safety for younger users on the Meta-owned photo and video sharing platform. These new accounts come with protections that are enabled by default, allowing only users over 16 to adjust their safety settings. Additionally, parents or guardians will be able to see who has been messaging their teenagers over the past week and can set daily time limits or block access to the app for specific periods.

Instagram Teen Accounts Launched with Default Restrictions
According to Meta, the new Teen Accounts will be automatically set to private for users under 18, requiring them to manually approve each follower request.

Teens will only be able to receive messages from people they are connected to or accounts they already follow. They can also only be mentioned or tagged by accounts they follow, while the Hidden Words feature will help filter out unwanted comments in messages and comments sections.

According to the company, sensitive content restrictions—a feature accessible to all Instagram users—will be set to the strictest level. This will filter out violent videos and those promoting cosmetic procedures from the Explore and Reels sections.

Sleep mode will be activated by default from 10 PM to 7 AM, silencing notifications and messages. This feature is also available for any Instagram account. Additionally, teens will receive a reminder after using the app for over an hour.

Enhanced Parental Controls for Teen Accounts
Parents can choose to receive more insights into their teenagers' Instagram usage through the supervision feature. This will display who their teens have messaged over the past week, including reactions and replies to stories and notes, without revealing the actual message content.

The service will provide parents with an overview of the content topics their teenager has selected on Instagram. Usage timers can be set to restrict access after a specified time limit. Additionally, parents have the option to block Instagram usage during certain periods, according to the company.

Instagram Teen Accounts Rollout Timeline
The company announced that teenagers in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US who sign up for Instagram will now be assigned Teen Accounts. Additionally, users under 16 with existing accounts will transition to the new experience next week. Younger users in the EU will be moved to Teen Accounts later this year, with other regions expected to follow in January 2025.