Instagram has developed tools to support safer interactions and empower teens to make thoughtful decisions online.
This applies to teens who are new to the platform or want to stay informed. In today’s digital world, teens are using social media to connect with their friends, learn and explore their interests.
Instagram has developed a variety of tools to give parents peace of mind, support safer interactions, and empower teens to make thoughtful decisions online.
Teen Accounts
Instagram has designed Teen Accounts to support parents better and give them peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place.
The account has built-in protections that limit who can contact them and the content they see.
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“By default, teen accounts are set to private and teens under 16 can only change this default setting with help from a parent or guardian,” Instagram noted.
Daily time limit
Instagram has set a daily time limit feature, which is also part of Teen Accounts.
This allows parents and teens to set limits on app usage, encouraging healthier and more mindful engagement over time.
Block, restrict and report feature
Teen Accounts include tools that allow teens to block or restrict people they don’t want to interact with and report harmful content or behaviour.
Instagram stated that restricted users won’t be able to see when your teen is online or if they’ve read messages.
Supervision tools (parental controls)
As part of Teen Accounts, Instagram offers supervision features that allow parents to stay involved in their teen’s experience on the app.
“With this feature, parents can monitor how much time their teen spends on Instagram, view who they follow and who follows them, receive updates when their teen reports accounts or content, and set daily time limits or scheduled breaks to help manage usage,” it said.
Sensitive content control
Instagram noted that this safety feature, also available through Teen Accounts, allows users to filter out potentially upsetting or mature content in Explore and other surfaces.
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Educational Family Centre
Instagram’s Family Centre is an educational hub that provides articles and guidance to help parents have meaningful conversations with their teens about their online experiences and how to make time spent online a positive experience.
The hub focuses on providing parents with practical tools from online safety experts, organisations and academics on everything from bullying to cybersecurity, according to Instagram.
