Instagram has introduced new privacy-focused accounts designed specifically for teens, enhancing parental control features to give parents more oversight while helping younger users better manage their digital presence.
As part of a major makeover intended to address growing concerns about the negative impacts of social media, Meta Platforms announced stronger privacy and parental controls for Instagram accounts of users under the age of 18.
According to the company's Tuesday announcement, Meta will automatically transfer all selected Instagram accounts to "Teen Accounts," which are by default private profiles.
These accounts have severely limited sensitive material restrictions, and users can only be messaged and tagged by other accounts they follow or are already connected to.
Users who are younger than 16 can only alter the default settings with their parent's consent.
Additionally, parents will receive a set of options that allow them to limit their children's app usage and keep an eye on who they interact with.
Numerous researches have connected social media use, especially among younger users, to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and learning difficulties.
Notably, many cases regarding the addictive nature of social media have already been brought on behalf of children and school districts against Meta, ByteDance's TikTok, and Google's YouTube.
