Meta has just announced a major update for Instagram, and it’s all about keeping teens safe online. Teen Accounts is the new feature designed to tackle the concerned parents have about their kids’ social media interactions.
With the digital world becoming increasingly fucked, this change comes at a crucial time as families are looking for more reassurance about their children’s online experiences.
Who will be getting Teen Accounts?
Starting today, any new user under 18 will automatically get a Teen Account, while existing users will transition to this setup within 60 days.
This rollout is happening in Australia, the US, the UK, and Canada. Meta hopes to show that they are serious about creating a safer space for young users.
What are Teen Accounts?
Will Easton, Meta’s Managing Director for Australia, shared the scoop on these new features. They’re all about making sure parents feel more in control while teens can still connect with their friends. Here’s what’s rolling out:
- Private by Default: All Teen Accounts will be set to private right off the bat. That means only approved followers can see their posts — goodbye random strangers!
- Restricted Messaging: Teens can only receive messages from people they follow or already know. This should help cut down on unwanted DMs from creeps.
- Sensitive Content Filters: Instagram will limit exposure to sensitive content, including anything that could mess with body image or promote harmful behaviours.
- Daily Time Limits: If your teen spends more than 60 minutes on the app, they’ll get a friendly reminder to take a break.
- Sleep Mode: Notifications will be silenced between 10 pm and 7 am, hopefully making it easier for teens to avoid getting caught in an all night doom scroll.
- Parental Controls: Parents will get handy tools to keep an eye on their teen’s activity and set usage limits.
“We know parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences,” said Easton.
Tackling age verification
Now, if you’re thinking, ‘What’s to stop a teenager from just faking their age to get around these restrictions?’ Meta is working on tools to catch those “age-liars”.
In a statement, the company noted that it wouldn’t share all the tools it’s using because “we don’t want to give teens an instruction manual,” per the ABC.
However, they are developing AI tools that analyse user behaviour and interactions with content to detect underage users who misrepresent their age. Australians won’t see this technology for some time, but it’s expected to be trialled with US users in 2025.
What do people think about the changes to Instagram?
Jim Hungerford, CEO of the Butterfly Foundation, praised Meta for taking proactive steps in protecting young users online, but acknowledged that he has concerns including age verification.
“We can’t afford to let perfection get in the way of progress to address the harms to young people on social media, and every action to prevent them being exposed to problematic content, like this excellent Meta’s Teens Account initiative, is a step in the right direction,” he said in a press release.
The reaction online has also been quite positive, with some people even urging other social media platforms to take similar initiative. “Twitter needs this soooo bad,” said one X user.
“Honestly this is really smart, teens won’t understand it and think it’s super restricting, but it’s simply for their safety and protection. Too many weirdos out there,” another said.
Interestingly, this announcement comes at a time when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans for a federal social media ban for teens. However, according to The Guardian, Meta insists that the launch of Teen Accounts on Instagram is unrelated to these government proposals aimed at enforcing age limits on social media.
No matter the motivation, this initiative marks a really important shift in how social media platforms care for their consumers, especially in how they prioritise the safety of teenagers online.
Lead image: Supplied/iStock
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