Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on September 17, 2024
2 min readLast updated: January 29, 2026
(Reuters) – Meta Platforms is rolling out enhanced privacy and parental controls for Instagram accounts of users under 18 in a significant overhaul aimed at addressing growing concerns around the negative effects of social media.
(Reuters) – Meta Platforms is rolling out enhanced privacy and parental controls for Instagram accounts of users under 18 in a significant overhaul aimed at addressing growing concerns around the negative effects of social media.
Meta will port all designated Instagram accounts automatically to “Teen Accounts”, which will be private accounts by default, the company said on Tuesday.
Users of such accounts can only be messaged and tagged by accounts they follow or are already connected to, while sensitive content settings will be dialed to the most restrictive available.
Users under 16 can change the default settings only with a parent’s permission. Parents will also get a suite of settings to monitor who their children are engaging with and limit their use of the app.
Several studies have linked social media use to higher levels of depression, anxiety and learning disabilities, particularly in young users.
Meta, ByteDance’s TikTok and Google’s GOOGL.O YouTube already face hundreds of lawsuits filed on behalf of children and school districts about the addictive nature of social media. Last year, 33 U.S. states including California and New York sued the company for misleading the public about the dangers of its platforms.
Top platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, allow users who are 13 years of age and above to sign up.
Meta’s move comes three years after it abandoned development on a version of the Instagram app meant for teenagers, after lawmakers and advocacy groups urged the company to drop it, citing safety concerns.
In July, the U.S. Senate advanced two online safety bills – The Kids Online Safety Act and The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act – that would force social media companies to take responsibility for how their platforms affect children and teens.
As part of the update, the under-18 Instagram users will be notified to close the app after 60 minutes each day. The accounts will also come with a default sleep mode that will silence notifications overnight.
Meta said it will place the identified users into teen accounts within 60 days in the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia, and in the European Union later this year. Teens around the world will start to get teen accounts in January.
(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru and Katie Paul in New York; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
A teen account is a social media account specifically designed for users under 18, featuring enhanced privacy settings and parental controls.
Parental controls are features that allow parents to monitor and restrict their children's online activities and interactions on social media platforms.
Social media refers to online platforms that enable users to create, share, and interact with content and other users.
Privacy in social media involves the protection of personal information shared by users, ensuring that only authorized individuals can access it.
Sensitive content settings are options that allow users to restrict exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on social media platforms.
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