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    • What Are Instagram Teen Accounts? New Feature Improves Parental Controls
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    What Are Instagram Teen Accounts? New Feature Improves Parental Controls

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    Instagram has officially launched its new teen accounts feature, one of Meta’s biggest efforts yet to improve the safety of its youngest online users.

    The new accounts, which are automatically assigned to new users under 18, limit what users can see, who can message them, and who can communicate with them, and give parents more control over their teens’ social media use.

    Meta promised to roll out additional safety features earlier this year after the company came under fire in both the United States and Europe over allegations that its apps are addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among young people.

    In October, more than 40 states filed a lawsuit in federal court, alleging that the social media company profited from ad revenue generated by intentionally designing features on Instagram and Facebook to maximize the time teens and children spent on the platforms.

    Meta said in a statement at the time that it shares the “commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online experiences,” adding: “We are disappointed that the attorneys general have chosen this path instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps that teens use.”

    Users will now start seeing some of the promised changes.

    What is an Instagram Teen Account?

    Every new Instagram user under 18 is automatically signed up for a teen account. This controls how teens view and interact with the app, and gives parents specific control over their teens’ experience on the app.

    These accounts have unique features designed to limit teen activity on the app, including restrictions on messages and inappropriate content, automatic private accounts, and parent-set time limits.

    Accounts can be changed to less restrictive settings, but teens under 16 will need parental permission to do so.

    “We know parents want to know their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests without worrying about unsafe or inappropriate experiences,” Instagram said in a press release. “This new experience is designed to better support parents and give them peace of mind that their teens are safe with the right protections in place.”

    The content visible through the Teen Account is filtered by the strictest settings, which hides content classified as “sensitive” even if it is shared by someone they follow. The accounts also warn the app not to suggest anything marked as potentially sensitive to these accounts in the first place. This applies not only to traditional posts, but also to Reels and suggested accounts.

    For example, sensitive messages may include sexually suggestive content, content discussing suicide, self-harm or eating disorders, depictions of violence, such as fights caught on camera, and messages discussing plastic surgery procedures.

    Teens will also have access to a new Explore feature that lets them select topics they want to see more posts about, helping them tailor the content of their Pages even more.

    Messaging is also restricted by default on Teen Accounts, meaning they can only message people they follow or are already connected to. Teen Accounts can also only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow and are equipped with Instagram’s strictest anti-bullying settings, meaning offensive words and phrases are filtered out of comments and DM requests.

    How Will Instagram Enforce Teen Accounts?

    Instagram also plans to enforce these age restrictions even when teens try to get around them by lying about their birthdates or trying to gain parental controls on each other’s accounts.

    Account creators will be asked to verify their age with an ID, and additional verification steps will be added. Starting in 2022, teens will be required to prove their age with a video selfie or ID check if they attempt to change their birth date from under 18 to over 18. If a teen attempts to change their birth date from a younger age to an older age, the platform will require proof of age with an ID check.

    Further measures include using information about a teen’s original account to prevent them from using a new account with an adult age or to prevent teens from linking their accounts to accounts with an adult age.

    Instagram is also working on an AI model that can detect whether someone is likely to be underage, even if they provide an adult birthdate during account registration. Using cues such as a rating of the accounts and types of content an account interacts with, the AI ​​technology, which has yet to be rolled out, could automatically switch an account to a teen version, though account owners can change this setting.

    Parental Control Features

    Parental controls are a key component of the new teen accounts. Instagram said the inspiration for the new features came from feedback on the most common concerns parents have.

    Parents can set up parental controls for their teens’ accounts. This lets them approve or deny their teens’ requests to change settings, or let teens manage their own settings. Parents also get access to optional supervision tools.

    These tools allow parents to see what topics their teens are viewing and who they’re chatting with. While parents can’t read their kids’ messages or directly see what messages they’re viewing, they can see who their teen has messaged in the last seven days and what topics they’ve chosen to appear in their feeds more often.

    A few more of these parental tools allow users to limit the amount of time they spend on Instagram. Some of these include:

    • Time limit reminders:Teens will receive a notification every day after 60 minutes to exit the app.
    • Sleep mode enabled: Sleep mode is enabled between 10pm and 7am. This mutes notifications at night and sends automatic replies to private messages.
    • Set Total Daily Time Limits for Teens’ Instagram Usage: Parents can determine how much time their teen can spend on Instagram per day. Once a teen reaches that limit, they can no longer use the app.

    How to Get an Instagram Teen Account?

    Instagram began listing all teens under 18 who create new accounts on Teen Accounts starting Tuesday. Existing teen accounts will not be automatically transferred, however.

    According to the company, Instagram plans to transition existing teen accounts to teen accounts in the US, UK, Canada and Australia within the next 60 days. Other accounts will follow in January.

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