Instagram launches “Teen Accounts”

Instagram is rolling out a new account type for users under 18, introducing "Teen Accounts" to enhance protections for young people, according to a recent blog post by the company. The new accounts will automatically include privacy settings, with additional controls for teens over 16 to adjust some of these features.

One key change is that all accounts belonging to minors will now be private by default, extending this safeguard to those under 18 rather than just users under 16. Private accounts limit who can view content or send direct messages, and the update will also include new features like a "Sleep Mode" to silence notifications from 10 PM to 7 AM.

In addition to privacy controls, Instagram will give teens the ability to select topics they wish to see more of, with age-appropriate categories like "sports," "animals and pets," and "travel." The platform will continue limiting sensitive content on Reels and the Explore page and will encourage teens to take regular breaks from the app through in-app alerts.

Instagram is also improving its parental control features. Parents will now be able to monitor who their child has messaged over the past seven days, although they will not have access to the message contents. They will also see which topics their teens are engaging with most frequently. While older teens (16 and up) will be allowed to change some settings, such as making their accounts public, younger users will require parental permission for such adjustments. Parents will need to set up supervisory tools to approve these changes.

The rollout of Teen Accounts will begin in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, with new users being the first to experience these changes. Existing users will see the update within a week, with plans to introduce the feature across the European Union later this year and to other Meta platforms in 2025.

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