Instagram is rolling out new privacy settings to make the platform safer for teenagers. Starting Tuesday, users under the age of 18 in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia will have their accounts set to private by default.
The change is part of Instagram's ongoing effort to address growing concerns about the negative impact of social media on young people's mental health.
Instagram Unveils Restricted Accounts for Teens
New users under 18 will automatically be placed in restricted teen accounts, which limit interactions with strangers. Those with existing accounts will be migrated to these new privacy settings over the next 60 days.
The European Union will follow suit later this year. In addition, Meta, Instagram's parent company, has announced that it is working on advanced technology to verify user ages, ensuring that teens do not register as adults to bypass these new restrictions.
The private accounts will limit who can send direct messages to teens, allowing only users they follow or are already connected with. Meta will also restrict access to sensitive content, such as posts involving violence or cosmetic procedures, according to AP News.
Teens will receive a notification if they spend more than 60 minutes on Instagram, and a "sleep mode" will mute notifications from 10 pm to 7 am, encouraging healthier screen habits.
Parents will play a more significant role in managing their children's online activity under these new settings. Users under 16 will require parental consent to adjust their account from the default privacy settings, while older teens will have more flexibility, though many of the new restrictions will remain in place.
Naomi Gleit, head of product at Meta, stated that these changes were made in response to common concerns from parents about their teens encountering inappropriate content, receiving messages from strangers, and spending too much time on the app.
However, the introduction of these privacy features comes at a time when Meta is facing legal pressure from several US states, accusing the company of designing its platforms to be addictive for young users.
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Experts Are Divided Over Instagram's New Measure
Critics argue that Meta's response is too little, too late. Nicole Gil, co-founder of Accountable Tech, criticized the move as a "self-regulation" tactic to avoid government intervention, calling for more robust, independent oversight to truly protect children from social media's potential harms.
Meta has not disclosed how these changes will affect its business, though industry analysts predict the impact will be minimal.
Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at Emarketer, noted that while the company may see a short-term dip in teen engagement, the overall financial impact is unlikely to be significant. "Teens are clever, and many will likely find ways around the restrictions," she added.
Experts remain divided on how effective these new measures will be. Dr. Shannon Bennett, a specialist in youth mental health, believes this is a step in the right direction.
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