Meta on Tuesday launched Instagram Teen Accounts, a more limited experience for younger users of the platform, in what is the latest effort by the technology company to alleviate concerns about the impact of social media on to the children.
Meta will automatically migrate all Instagram users under the age of 16 to the new service, which features built-in protection through settings controlled by their parents. The move is designed to address growing criticism that social media can harm young people’s mental health, as well as put parents at ease about the type of content their children are exposed to and who is able to interact with it. with them
User profiles on teen accounts are automatically made private and can only be viewed if a request to access the teen’s information is accepted. The new tool also places restrictions on messaging, allowing parents to see who their kids are communicating with, and includes a feature that silences notifications at night. Such features can be disabled, but only with parental permission.
“We know parents want to be confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences,” Meta said in a statement Tuesday. “We understand parents’ concerns, and that’s why we’re reimagining our apps for teens with new Teen accounts.”
In addition to giving caregivers more control over their child’s Instagram use, a new “Explore” feature allows teens to select topics they want to see more of, according to Meta.
Face legal pressure to change
Antigone Davis, global head of security at Meta, told CBS News that Meta designed Teen Accounts in consultation with parents of teenagers and that the changes will affect tens of millions of Instagram users. Although Meta has made incremental changes over the years, the new service “standardizes the experience.” she said.
“It gives parents peace of mind. Their teens are in a certain protection zone,” Davis said, adding that Meta seeks to “reimagine how parents and teens interact online.”
In 2023 dozens of states accused Metaclaiming that the company deliberately engineered Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to young users in an attempt to boost profits. The lawsuit also accused Meta of collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, a violation of federal law.
Meta has denied such allegations, saying it is focused on providing teens with “positive online experiences” and that it has introduced dozens of tools aimed at making social media safer for teens.
How will Teen accounts be enforced?
With Teen Accounts, users under 16 need their parents’ permission to override restrictions, according to Meta. An additional feature allows parents to further shape their teens’ online experiences by showing who they are, how they’re messaging and how much time they’re spending on the platform. Parents can also block teens from accessing Instagram during certain times of the day.
To keep teenagers honest, Meta asks them to verify their age by uploading an ID card and using a tool called Yodi, which analyzes a person’s facial features to determine if they appear to be under or over 18.
Teens will be notified that their accounts have been migrated to teen accounts. The transition is expected to take over 60 days in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
—CBS News’ Jo Ling Kent contributed to this report
