Instagram is overhauling how it works for teens, offering more “integrated protections” for young people, but also checks and additional insurance for parents.
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NEW “teenage accounts” are being introduced from Tuesday in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, according to the BBC.
They enable many privacy settings for everyone under 18 by default. Their content will not be viewable by non-followers and they will have to actively approve all new followers.
However, children between the ages of 13 and 15 will only be able to adjust settings by adding a parent or guardian to their account.
Due to concerns that not enough is being done to protect young people from harmful content, social media companies are under worldwide pressure to make their platforms safer.
According to British children’s charity NSPCC, the Instagram ad is a “step in the right direction”.
But they “must be supported by proactive measures to prevent the proliferation of harmful content and sexual abuse on Instagram in the first place” says Rani Govender, the NSPCC’s policy manager for children’s online safety.
Meta: New changes will ‘better support parents’
Meta described the changes as a “new experience for teenagers, guided by parents”explaining that they will “support parents better and give them peace of mind that their teenagers are safe”.
A father whose 14-year-old daughter viewed self-harm and suicide content on Instagram before taking her own life told the BBC it was important to see how the new policy would be implemented, according to the BBC.
“Whether it works or not, we will only know when the measures come into effect. Meta is very good at PR and making these big announcements, but what they also need to do is be transparent and communicate how well their measures are working.” said Ian Russell, the father whose daughter committed suicide.
What changes are being made
It largely changes the way Instagram works for users between the ages of 13 and 15, with a number of settings enabled by default.
These include strict controls on sensitive content to prevent recommendations of potentially harmful material and “mute” notifications overnight.
Teen accounts will be set to rather “private” than on “public”meaning teens will have to actively accept new followers and their content won’t be viewable by non-followers, according to the BBC.
