Instagram teen accounts roll out this month. Here’s what to know

article

FILE - The Instagram logo is seen on a mobile device in this photo illustration. Getty Images

Beginning today, Instagram is placing higher account restrictions for users under 18 that join the platform and who already have accounts.

"This is a big update that requires us to fundamentally change the Instagram experience of millions of teens," Meta, Instagram’s parent company, said in a fact sheet introducing the new accounts.

Here’s what to know about the new accounts:

What’s an Instagram teen account?

An Instagram "teen account" is the type of account that all users under 18 will now receive when they sign up for Instagram. Accounts of current teen users will be migrated in the coming weeks automatically to the teen account set-up.

The teen accounts are automatically private, which means their content won’t be available to see publicly.

Other changes include restrictions on who can directly message the teens, what content they’ll see organically in their explore page and how much time they can spend on the app. For example, a new "sleep mode" restricts teens from receiving notifications at night.

While the teen settings will automatically be turned on for all teens, 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to turn them off. Kids under 16 will need their parents' permission to do so.

An illustration of a teen’s account privacy settings, with the pop-up memo to add a parent in order to change certain settings. Image: Meta

Meta acknowledges that teens may lie about their age and says it will require them to verify their ages in more instances, like if they try to create a new account with an adult birthday.

The company also said it is building technology to proactively find teen accounts that pretend to be grownups and automatically place them into the restricted teen accounts.

How is a teen account different?

An illustration of additional supervision features on a teen account, such as time management settings and the parental supervision of teens’ direct messages. Image: Meta

Some of the features of the teen accounts include:

Automatic private account
Messaging restrictions
Sensitive content restrictions
Limited tagging interactions
Break reminders
Sleep mode
Greater control over Explore and in-feed recommendations
Parental supervision over who is messaging their teens
Parental supervision over teen’s explore interests

See more details here from Meta.

When are teen accounts available?

Beginning Sept. 17, 2024, in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, anyone under 18 who signs up for Instagram will be placed into restrictive teen accounts.

Teens already using Instagram will be notified about the changes, and those with existing accounts will be migrated over the next 60 days.

Why is Meta making changes?

The rollout of Instagram’s teen accounts comes as Meta faces lawsuits from dozens of U.S. states that accuse it of harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

Meta has been making various changes on its platforms that it says address teen safety issues.