Instagram is adjusting its Teen Accounts set-up to add new restrictions, rules, and features. The new system is guided in a way similar to PG-13 movie ratings: if it isn’t OK for a PG-13 movie, it’s not okay for teens to be seeing on Instagram.
Teens under 18 will automatically be placed in an updated 13+ setting and will not be able to opt out without a parent’s permission. For parents who want to tighten the belt even further, there’s also a new stricter setting that affords a more restrictive experience. Kids are smart and sometimes know or figure out how to circumvent the rules. Instagram is adding age prediction technology, which will place teens into certain content protections even if they claim to be adults.
Kids may see some suggestion content or strong language, just as is the case with a PG-13 movie, notes the company. But they are working to make those instances “as rare as possible.” Sexually suggestive content, graphic or disturbing images, and adult content like tobacco or alcohol sales from teens, will remain prohibited. The policies will go further, including hiding or not recommending posts with strong language, certain risky stunts, and additional content that could encourage potentially harmful behaviours, like posts showing marijuana paraphernalia.
There are additional updates. Teens will no longer be able to follow accounts that Instagram has found regularly shares age-inappropriate content, or if their name or bio suggests the account is inappropriate for teens. If teens already follow these accounts, they’ll no longer be able to see or interact with their content, send them DMs, or see their comments under anyone’s posts. The accounts won’t be recommended to teens either, and it will be made more difficult for teens to find these accounts in Search. Conversely, these accounts won’t be able to follow teens, send them DMs, or comment on their posts.
Instagram already blocks search terms related to certain sensitive topics, like suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders. Now, Instagram will block teens’ ability to see content results for a wider range of mature search terms, such as ‘alcohol’ or ‘gore.’ The company is working to make sure these terms will still be blocked if they’re misspelled as well.
Teens shouldn’t see content that goes against the updated guidelines in recommendations (Explore, Reels, and in-Feed), Feed, and Stories, even when shared by someone they follow or in comments. If someone sends a teen a link to such content in DMs, they won’t be able to open it.
Additionally, Instagram has also updated the AI experiences for teens to be guided by PG-13 ratings by default, meaning AIs should not give age-inappropriate responses that would feel out of place in a PG-13 movie.
For parents who feel that even PG-13 movies are too mature for their teens, Instagram is introducing a new, stricter setting called ‘Limited Content,’ which will filter even more content from the Teen Account experience. It will also remove teens’ ability to see, leave, or receive comments under posts. Starting next year, this setting will also further restrict the AI conversations teens can have.
To develop these new policies, Instagram invited thousands of parents around the world to rate real Instagram content and tell the company if they thought it was appropriate for teens. Instagram received over three million content ratings from parents and incorporated this feedback when refining the age-appropriate guidelines. Parents can continue to provide feedback, which will help Instagram understand if parents still agree with where the line has been drawn or if guidelines require further adjustment. Instagram is also testing a new way for parents using supervision tools to flag any post they see on Instagram that they think should be hidden from teens and inform why. If these posts aren’t already hidden from teens, they will be sent to the teams for prioritized review, after which parents will learn the outcome.
The updated content settings have started rolling out gradually to Teen Accounts in the U.S., UK, Australia, and Canada and will be fully rolled out by the end of the year. They will roll out globally.