Instagram Is Getting Stricter For Teens, Gives Parents More Control

Meta-owned Instagram is rolling out a major update to make the app safer for teenagers. The Mark Zuckerberg-owned platform is bringing stricter rules for Teen Accounts inspired by 13+ movie ratings criteria and parent feedback. With the new update, parents who prefer extra controls can also choose a new, stricter setting, called Limited Content, to give them more control over what their teen sees on Instagram.The idea is simple. The social media giant now wants teens to see content that feels similar to what they would watch in a movie rated for ages 13 and above. This means the platform will automatically limit what kind of posts, videos, and accounts are shown to users under 18. Kids will be placed in this safer setting by default, and they cannot

switch it off without a parent’s permission."Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear some strong language in a movie rated for ages 13+, teens may occasionally see something like that on Instagram, but we’re going to keep doing all we can to keep those instances as rare as possible," Meta said in a blog post."We recognise no system is perfect, and we’re committed to improving over time. We hope this update reassures parents that we’re working to show teens safe, age-appropriate content on Instagram by default, while also giving them more ways to shape their teens’ experience," it added.The US-based app also says that it will now hide or avoid recommending content that includes strong language, risky stunts,or anything that could encourage harmful behaviour. Content related to alcohol, drugs, or disturbing visuals will also be restricted more strictly than before. As per Meta, the changes go beyond just the feed. Instagram is also improving how search works for teens. Certain sensitive or mature search terms will be blocked completely and even misspelled versions of these terms will not show results. "Teens will no longer be able to follow accounts that we’ve found regularly share age-inappropriate content, or if their name or bio suggests the account is inappropriate for teens. If teens already follow these accounts, they’ll no longer be able to see or interact with their content, send them DMs, or see their comments under anyone’s posts," the company said.Meta says it won’t recommend these accounts to teens, and it will make it harder for teens to find these accounts in Search. "These protections work both ways: these accounts won’t be able to follow teens, send them DMs, or comment on their posts," the social media app said.Another big change is the platform is also using better AI tools to detect and filter content more effectively. This includes making sure that AI-poweered features do not give responses that are unsuitable for younger users.For parents who want even more control, Instagram is introducing a new Limited Content”mode. This feature will further reduce what teens can see and will also limit their ability to interact through comments.