Instagram Launches Teen Accounts and Major Updates for Child Safety Online

Instagram is taking significant steps to enhance safety for younger users by launching separate teen accounts for individuals under 18. This initiative comes in response to increasing concerns regarding the impact of social media on the lives of young people.

Starting Tuesday, users under 18 who register for Instagram in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia will automatically be assigned to a teen account. Additionally, existing accounts within this age range will be transitioned over the following 60 days. Users in the European Union can expect their accounts to be updated later this year.

Recognizing that some teenagers may not disclose their true ages, Meta, Instagram’s parent company, plans to implement stricter age verification measures. This will include increased scrutiny when teens attempt to create new accounts using adult birthdates. Furthermore, Meta is developing technology to identify and convert accounts falsely claiming to be for adults into restricted teen accounts automatically.

The new teen accounts will be set to private by default. This means that private messages can only be received from contacts the teens follow or are already connected with. Meta also indicated that “sensitive content”—including violent videos or materials promoting cosmetic procedures—will have restrictions applied. To encourage healthier usage, teens will receive reminders if they spend over 60 minutes on the platform, and a “sleep mode” feature will disable notifications and send automated replies to direct messages from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m.

While all teens will have these settings activated, users aged 16 and 17 will have the option to disable them. However, users younger than 16 will require parental consent to make adjustments to less restrictive settings.

Naomi Gleit, Meta’s head of product, highlighted the three primary concerns parents communicate: unwanted content exposure, unwanted contact from strangers, and excessive time spent on the app. The new teen accounts are designed to directly address these issues.

This announcement follows ongoing legal challenges facing Meta, with multiple U.S. states accusing the company of contributing to the youth mental health crisis through features designed to keep children engaged for extended periods.

Meta’s prior attempts to address teen safety and mental health concerns have received criticism, as many felt the changes were insufficient. For example, while children will receive a notification after an hour of app usage, they still have the option to ignore it and continue using the platform. However, if parents activate the “parental supervision” mode, they can set strict time limits, such as restricting usage to just 15 minutes.

With the recent updates, parents are being given more oversight options regarding their children’s accounts. Users under 16 will necessitate parental or guardian approval to lessen the restrictions on their settings. Setting up “parental supervision” involves linking their accounts to a parent or guardian for monitoring.

Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, expressed concerns over the low uptake of the company’s existing parental control features. Gleit believes that the introduction of teen accounts will motivate both parents and teens to utilize these supervision features more actively.

She noted that through the family center, parents will gain insight into their teen’s messaging activities, allowing for potential discussions about online interactions. If any incidents of bullying or harassment occur, parents can view whom their teen is following, who follows them, and their message history for the past week, facilitating meaningful conversations to help navigate challenging online situations.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has previously commented on the difficulties parents face in keeping children safe from rapidly evolving technology. He emphasized that expecting parents to manage such technologies—which significantly alter social interactions and self-perception—places an unreasonable burden on them.

Overall, these changes represent a proactive approach by Instagram to address rising parental concerns over their teens’ online experiences and enhance the overall safety of the platform.