Instagram Will Force Teens To Have A Private Account; know why

Instagram Will Force Teens To Have A Private Account

In an effort to give parents greater control over their teenagers' social media use, Instagram, the Meta-owned image-sharing platform, has introduced Teen Accounts. With a large teenage user base, Instagram is rolling out these changes to create a safer and more positive online experience, offering "peace of mind" for both parents and teens.

Teenagers will automatically be placed into the new Teen Accounts, and those under 16 will need parental consent to modify any of the settings. By default, teen accounts will be set to private, restricting interactions with unfamiliar adults and filtering potentially harmful content. Instagram is also offering educational resources to guide teenagers in navigating the digital space responsibly.

Teens will have access to a new feature that lets them choose topics they want to see more of in Explore and their recommendations, helping them avoid unwanted content. New followers will require approval from teens, and those who don’t follow them won't be able to view their content or interact with them. Messaging will be restricted so that teens can only receive messages from people they follow or are already connected to, protecting them from contact by unknown individuals.

Teens will also be placed in the strictest level of Instagram's sensitive content control, which limits the sensitive content they encounter in areas like Explore and Reels.

Additional features include:

• Time limit reminders: Teens will receive notifications to stop using the app after 60 minutes of daily usage.
• Sleep mode: Activated between 10 PM and 7 AM, this feature mutes notifications and sends auto-replies to messages during the night. 
• Limited interactions: Teens can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow. Instagram will also enable the most restrictive version of the anti-bullying tool, Hidden Words, to filter offensive words and phrases from comments and message requests.

How to Change Settings in Instagram Teen Accounts

Teens under 16 will need parental permission to use less protective settings. To get permission, teens must set up parental supervision on Instagram. For parents seeking more control over their older teens' (16+) experiences, they can activate parental supervision and approve any changes to the settings, regardless of their teen’s age. Once supervision is set, parents can approve or deny requests to change settings, or let teens manage their own. Soon, parents will also be able to modify these settings directly to increase protection.