Instagram Tightens Safety for Teens: Private Accounts Now Default as Meta Faces Backlash

In a proactive move to enhance the safety of social media for children, Instagram is introducing new default privacy settings for teens. Starting Tuesday, teens under 18 in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia will be automatically placed into private, restrictive accounts upon signing up. Existing teen accounts will be seamlessly migrated to these new settings over 60 days. This initiative is part of Meta’s broader strategy to protect young users amid growing concerns about social media’s impact on youth mental health.

Enhanced Teen Safety Settings
Instagram’s new teen accounts will feature several key safety measures:

  • Private Accounts by Default: New teen accounts will be automatically set to private, and existing teen accounts will be transitioned to this setup.
  • Limited Messaging: Teenagers will only receive private messages from people they follow or have already connected with.
  • Content Restrictions: Exposure to “sensitive content,” including videos of violence or cosmetic procedure promotions, will be minimized.
  • Screen Time and Sleep Mode: Teens will get alerts after 60 minutes of use, and “sleep mode” will deactivate notifications from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Teens aged 16 and 17 can opt out of these features, while younger teens need parental approval to make changes.

Meta is also tackling the issue of age misrepresentation. The company will require additional age verification if a user tries to sign up with a birth date indicating they are an adult. This verification process may involve providing a government-issued ID or other official documents. Furthermore, technology is being developed to detect teen accounts pretending to be adults and automatically apply the restrictive settings.

Meta Responds to Rising Concerns
This move comes as Meta faces lawsuits from multiple U.S. states accusing the social media giant of harming young users. States allege that Meta has designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children, fueling the youth mental health crisis. New York Attorney General Letitia James acknowledged the new initiative but emphasized that more needs to be done to protect children from social media’s harmful effects.

Parental Supervision Gains Traction
Meta is not just introducing default privacy settings, but also empowering parents with new tools to monitor their teens’ online activity. Parents of teens under 16 will need to grant permission for their children to adjust their account settings. Through the Family Center, parents will have full visibility into their teen’s messaging activity and be able to engage in conversations about potential online dangers, giving them a greater sense of control.

Meta has introduced parental supervision options in recent years. However, according to Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, these tools have seen limited use. Naomi Gleit, head of product at Meta, believes that the new teen accounts will incentivize more parents to activate parental supervision.

A Shared Responsibility
The updated settings are part of Meta’s response to the growing call for social media reform, with tech critics and officials like U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warning that parents are being asked to manage rapidly evolving technologies with significant consequences for young users’ mental health. Meta’s new changes aim to ease that burden by offering stricter, automatic settings, ensuring that parents and teens have better control over their online experiences.

While the platform’s efforts represent a step toward safeguarding teens, many argue that more robust measures are still needed. As Meta continues to grapple with criticism, the rollout of private accounts by default signals an increased focus on addressing the well-being of its youngest users.