Instagram users under the age of 18 will be given an automatic "teen account" with stricter privacy features, the social media platform announced on Tuesday.
The Meta-owned company said security protections make parental approval mandatory for some features. It will also make teens' profiles automatically private, with less access to content deemed sensitive and features to limit screen time.
For the first time, anyone 15 or younger will need a parent or guardian's permission to opt out of more restrictive settings. But 16-17-year-olds will not need parental approval to do so.
What are some of the main changes?
· Teens can only receive messages from people they follow.
· Restrictions on sensitive content (such as fights).
· Offensive words and phrases will be filtered from teen comments.
· Notifications will tell them to leave the app after 60 minutes every day.
What are the features for parents?
· Parents will see who their teen has messaged in the last seven days, but they won't be able to read messages.
· Parents can set time limits for daily use. Once he reaches that limit, he won't be able to access the app.
· Parents can choose to block their children from using Instagram at night or specific time periods.
