Instagram announced the launch of a new feature called Teen Accounts, designed for improve security of the users under 18 years old on the platform.
Thus, all teenagers who register or already have accounts on the platform will be automatically placed in this new type of account, which includes stricter privacy and security restrictions.
Teenagers’ accounts will be set to private by defaultwhich means that only those who they accept as followers will be able to see their content. In addition, users minors 16-year-olds will need parental consent to modify any of their account settings. This change is intended to address concerns about unwanted contact and exposure to inappropriate content.
Teenage Instagram accounts will be automatically configured with protections that, for example, limit who can contact them and the content they see. Plus, they offer new ways to explore your interests.
These are the characteristics of teenage accounts on Instagram
- Automatic configuration as a private account: With accounts set up this way, teens must accept new followers, and people who don’t follow them can’t see their content or interact with them.
- Messaging restrictions: They will only be able to receive messages from people they follow or people they are already connected to.
- Sensitive content restrictions: Teens will have our most stringent sensitive content control settings turned on, which limit the type of sensitive content (like that showing people fighting or promoting cosmetic surgery) they can see in sections like Explore or Reels.
- Daily Limits Reminders: Teens will receive notifications warning them to exit the app if they spend more than 60 minutes of use in a day.
- A new sleep mode that silences notifications at night: The sleep mode will be activated between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. This will silence the Notifications overnight and automatic replies will be sent to direct messages.
- Additional parental monitoring tools that allow parents to see who their teenager is messaging.
- With parental supervision activated, responsible adults can also decide when and during How long can they use Instagram? their teenage children.
- Teenagers will also have access to a new featuremade just for them, which allows them Select the topics you want to see in Explore and your recommendations so that they can receive the fun and positive content they like.
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When will teen accounts be available?
Meta announced that teenagers in Latin America will begin to be included in the new Teen accounts in January 2025.