With the rising popularity of Reels, teenagers spend significant time on social media platforms like Instagram. To ensure the online safety of young users, Instagram has introduced the Teen Account feature. This new update aims to protect children from inappropriate content and provide parents with more control over their child’s Instagram usage.
Why Are Restrictions Necessary for Children?
The Indian government, through the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, emphasized that minors should require parental consent to create social media accounts. Following this directive, Meta has implemented stricter safety measures for young users on Instagram.
Teenagers are at risk of exposure to pornographic content, cyberbullying, and privacy-related threats due to excessive social media usage. To address these concerns, Instagram’s Teen Account feature limits access to inappropriate content and improves parental supervision.
Features Available to Parents
Instagram now provides several tools for parents to monitor and manage their child’s account, including:
- Chat Insights: Parents can see who their child is communicating with on Instagram.
- Time Limits: Parents can set a daily screen time limit, ensuring their child receives reminders to close Instagram after 60 minutes.
- Approve Permission: Children under 16 years old will need parental approval to change their account’s safety settings. Only parents can make these adjustments.
How is the Teen Account Different?
Instagram’s Teen Account comes with several unique safety features:
- Sleep Mode: Active from 10 PM to 7 AM, during which Instagram notifications will be muted. An auto-reply feature for messages will also be enabled.
- Content Restrictions: Sensitive content will not appear in search results, feed, or Reels.
- Tagging Control: Only people whom teenagers follow can tag or mention them in posts.
- Privacy Settings:
- New accounts created by users aged 13-17 will be private by default.
- Users under 16 will require parental permission to make their accounts public.
- Users aged 16-17 can switch to a public account without parental approval.
Conclusion
Instagram’s Teen Account feature is a significant step towards creating a safer digital environment for young users. By giving parents more control and restricting inappropriate content, this update ensures a secure and responsible social media experience for teenagers.
