Instagram Introduces 'Teen Accounts' To Safeguard Teens And Reassuring Parents

Social media has become an integral part of teen life, but it comes with its own set of challenges.

And teenagers have given Instagram unique challenges to overcome, simply because these people experience a range of emotion, including excitement and validation to anxiety and stress, in a rollercoaster-like fluctuations in their attempt to constantly receive approval through likes and comments.

Not to mention that they are also often targeted by cyberbullies, and that teens also often face privacy concerns.

This is where Instagram introduces 'Teen Accounts', which are essentially Instagram's way to provide built-in protections for teens, and peace of mind for parents.

In a blog post:

On a dedicated help page, Instagram explained that Teen Accounts, which are initially being rolled out on an individual basis, are Instagram accounts for teens 13-17, and have a number of protections enabled by default:

• Messages: Teen Accounts are automatically set to only receive messages from accounts they follow or have previously connected with.
• Tags, mentions and content remixing: Teen Accounts are automatically set to only allow tags and mentions by people who they follow. Content remixing is automatically set to people they follow and follow them back.
• Potentially offensive comments and message requests: Teen Accounts are automatically set to hide potentially offensive comments and message requests through the Hidden Words settings.
• Sensitive content control: Teen Accounts are automatically set to see less sensitive content in search results and recommended content in Explore, Reels and feed.
• Sleep mode: Teen Accounts automatically have sleep mode turned on from 10PM to 7AM every day. During sleep mode, Instagram notifications are muted, auto-replies to messages are turned on, and the teen will see a reminder to close Instagram.
• Daily time limits: Teen Accounts automatically get a reminder to close Instagram or Threads after a total of 60 minutes is spent on the app(s) each day.

Teen Accounts are automatically created when users register themselves as users between that age range.

As explained by Meta on its own website post, Teen Accounts that are defaulted to private, has two types.

The first is for teens under 16, who require their parent's or guardian's permission if they wish to update their teen safety settings to be less protective. The second is for teens between 16-17, who can change these settings themselves, unless their account is supervised by a parent or guardian.

With the introduction of Teen Accounts, existing accounts for teens under 16 will be set to private, even if their accounts were previously public. To change this, they will need their parent’s or guardian’s permission to change their accounts to public.

Teens 16-17 with existing public accounts will not be automatically set to private accounts, and they can keep their accounts public without permission.

The pressure to maintain a curated online persona can lead to stress and negatively affect self-esteem, as teens compare themselves to idealized images and influencers.

Additionally, the addictive nature of social media can lead to excessive screen time, impacting real-life interactions and academic performance. With the spread of misinformation, teens might encounter and share misleading content, which can have far-reaching consequences.

Balancing social media use with offline activities and fostering open conversations about its impact are essential steps in addressing these challenges.

And here, Instagram is stepping up its efforts because it knows that teens are making up a huge part of its overall userbase.