Instagram Boosts Privacy For Teen Accounts.
Instagram is making significant changes to enhance safety for teenagers on its platform. The introduction of “teen accounts” aims to provide built-in protections for users under 18, with many privacy settings activated by default. This initiative will roll out in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia, marking a proactive approach to safeguarding young users.
One of the key features of these new accounts is that they will restrict visibility of content to only those who follow the user. Additionally, teenagers will need to approve all new follower requests actively. For children aged 13 to 15, the ability to modify these settings will require the addition of a parent or guardian to their account, ensuring that parental guidance plays a crucial role in their online experience.
The move comes amid growing global concerns regarding the safety of young people on social media platforms. Organizations like the NSPCC have welcomed Instagram’s announcement as a positive step but emphasize that the responsibility for safety should not rest solely on children and parents. They argue that more proactive measures are necessary to prevent harmful content and sexual abuse from spreading on the platform.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, describes these changes as a “new experience for teens, guided by parents.” The company aims to offer better support for parents, assuring them that their teens will have the appropriate protections in place. However, the real test will be how effectively these measures are implemented and enforced.
Ian Russell, whose daughter tragically took her life after encountering harmful content on Instagram, underscores the importance of transparency in this process. He expresses cautious optimism but stresses that the true effectiveness of the new policy will only be evident once it is put into practice. As Instagram rolls out these changes, the focus will be on monitoring their impact on user safety and well-being.
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How will it be implemented?
Teen accounts on Instagram will have strict controls on sensitive content and muted notifications overnight by default. Accounts will be set to private, requiring teenagers to actively accept new followers. Under-16s attempting to change key default settings will need parental permission.
Parents can see who their child messages and their interests, but not the content of messages. However, concerns have been raised about parents’ willingness to intervene to keep their children safe online.
Age determination
The system will primarily rely on users being truthful about their ages, but Instagram already employs tools to verify a user’s age if they are suspected of lying. From January, in the US, it will use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to proactively detect teens using adult accounts, to put them back into a teen account. The UK’s Online Safety Act, passed earlier this year, requires online platforms to take action to keep children safe, or face substantial fines.
Ofcom warned social media sites in May they could be named, shamed or banned for under-18s if they fail to comply with its new rules. Social media industry analyst Matt Navarra said Instagram’s changes were significant, but hinged on enforcement, as teens throughout history have found ways to circumvent such blocks, if possible.
Questions for Meta
Instagram has rolled out several tools designed to help parents safeguard their teenagers while using the platform. Among these tools are a family center and supervision features that allow parents to monitor the accounts their children follow and those that follow them. This initiative reflects a broader trend among social media platforms to enhance parental oversight.
Snapchat has also taken steps in this direction by introducing its own family center. This feature enables parents over the age of 25 to see whom their children are messaging and to restrict their access to certain types of content. These developments highlight a growing recognition of the need for parental involvement in children’s online activities.
YouTube has recently announced plans to limit the recommendations of specific health and fitness videos to teenagers, particularly those that idealize certain body types. This move is part of a larger effort to protect young users from potentially harmful content, although it raises questions about the effectiveness of such measures.
Despite the numerous protections implemented by platforms like Instagram, young people continue to encounter harmful content online. An Ofcom study revealed that every child interviewed had come across violent material, with Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat frequently cited as the sources. This alarming finding underscores the challenges of ensuring online safety for minors.
The Online Safety Act aims to tackle these issues by mandating that platforms demonstrate a commitment to removing illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and content that promotes self-harm. However, the full implementation of these regulations is not expected until 2025, leaving a gap in protections for young users in the meantime.
In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has proposed a ban on social media for children by establishing a new age limit for platform usage. While Instagram’s latest tools empower parents to take a more active role in monitoring their children’s online activities, they still face limitations. Parents cannot control the algorithms that dictate the content their children see or what is shared by billions of users globally, highlighting the complexities of ensuring online safety.
