Instagram teen accounts will limit contact and content

Meta announced its new Instagram teen accounts today. The protections for under-16s on the social media platform will begin to roll out immediately for new users.

Users with teen accounts will be limited in who can contact them and what content they can see. Teenagers will need their parents to approve any changes to these default settings.

These accounts will be private as standard, with users required to approve anyone who wants to follow them. They will only be able to receive messages from accounts they already follow.

Sensitive content will be limited to Instagram’s most restrictive band, which blocks content including fighting and cosmetic procedures. The app’s anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, will also be turned on to hide offensive words from comment sections and DMs.

Finally, the social media giant will send out notifications after an hour of daily usage to ask users to leave. A sleep mode will be automatically enabled between 10pm and 7am each night, turning off notifications.

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