Meta has announced new privacy settings for teenage Instagram users to reduce their exposure to harmful content. Under these updates, accounts for users aged 13 and older will automatically be set to private. Teen users will only receive messages or be tagged by accounts they follow or are connected with, and their content settings will be the strictest available.
Offensive language will be filtered from comments and direct messages, and teens will receive notifications to take breaks after 60 minutes of app usage each day. Additionally, a sleep mode will mute notifications from 10pm to 7am and send auto-replies to direct messages.
Users under 16 will need parental permission to change these default settings, while those aged 16 and 17 can adjust them without such permission. Parents will also have tools to monitor and limit their children’s app usage.
Meta has faced criticism and lawsuits over its handling of young users and their engagement with the platform. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly died after viewing harmful content online, expressed frustration that these measures weren’t introduced sooner, questioning why such steps hadn’t been taken earlier to protect young users.
Meta defended the new measures as a way to support parents and ensure teens are safe online. It also acknowledged that teens might lie about their age to bypass restrictions and is working on technology to identify teen accounts even if the listed birthday indicates adulthood. This technology will begin testing in the US early next year.
