After years of pushing for change, Instagram is finally making big updates to how it works for young people, aiming to make online experiences safer. These new “built-in protections” promise to give parents more control and peace of mind.
Launched in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia in September 2024, these changes aim to improve online safety for teenagers.
But what exactly does this involve, and will it truly safeguard young users?
This shift highlights the growing responsibility platforms have to prioritise user safety—especially younger audiences. For brands, how social media platforms navigate protecting their user’s privacy is going to not only impact the way they operate but will determine how they engage with audiences of certain demographics.
So, let’s take a look at what this latest move involves…
How will it work?
First thing’s first, it’s important to know that these new measures will impact accounts for ages from 13 years to 15 years – meaning it’s a relatively small demographic – but still important nonetheless.
And, Instagram isn’t the first to roll out these kinds of tools for parents, they already offer over 50 features designed to keep teens safe.
For these accounts, quite a few settings will be default moving forward. Including strict controls for sensitive content to reduce the risk of teens coming across harmful materials, as well as automatically muted notifications overnight.
Also, these accounts will now default to private, meaning they’ll have to approve new followers, and only those who follow them can see their content.
If a parent/guardian chooses to, they will be able to see who they message and the topics they are interested in.
Age verification
The system mostly counts on users being honest about their age, but Instagram already has tools in place to check if someone’s trying to fake it. Starting in January, Instagram in the US will roll out AI tools to spot teens using adult accounts and automatically switch them back to a teen profile.
What are other platforms doing?
Snapchat introduced a Family Centre, allowing parents over 25 to see who their child is messaging and restrict their access to certain content.
And, in September, YouTube announced it would limit recommendations of certain health and fitness videos for teenagers, particularly those that “idealise” specific body types.
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Extra Instagram updates
Enhancing teen accounts isn’t the only thing the Meta team has been up to for Instagram – here’s what else you need to know to stay in the loop:
- Instagram is gearing up to let you add text to your Reels cover photo!
- They’ve rolled out new fonts and sticker options for Stories, giving you even more creative freedom.
- Expanded carousel slides from 10 to 20.
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