New Delhi: Meta has announced the expansion of Instagram Teen Accounts to India, reinforcing its commitment to ensuring a safer online experience for young users. The rollout will take place in phases, introducing enhanced privacy and security measures tailored for teenagers.
Designed to create a more secure and age-appropriate digital space, Teen Accounts come with built-in protections to limit unwanted interactions, strengthen privacy settings, and give parents greater oversight. These measures aim to address concerns such as cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and privacy risks.
“At Meta, creating a safer and more responsible digital environment is a top priority. With the expansion of Instagram Teen Accounts to India, we are strengthening protections, enhancing content controls, and empowering parents while ensuring a safer experience for teenagers," said Natasha Jog, Director, Public Policy India, Instagram. A key feature of Teen Accounts is that they are set to private by default. Users under 16—and under 18 in some cases—must approve new followers, preventing non-followers from viewing or interacting with their content. Additionally, messaging restrictions will be in place, allowing teenagers to receive messages only from people they already follow or are connected with.
To further limit exposure to sensitive content, teenagers will automatically be placed in the most restrictive setting for areas like Explore and Reels. They will also have protections against online harassment, with only people they follow allowed to tag or mention them. The strictest version of the anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, will be enabled by default to filter out offensive language in comments and direct message requests.
Meta is also introducing features to help manage screen time. Teenagers will receive notifications reminding them to exit the app after 60 minutes of daily usage. A sleep mode, active from 10 pm to 7 am, will mute notifications and send automated replies to direct messages overnight.
Parental supervision tools will allow guardians to monitor and manage their teenager’s Instagram experience, including approving safety setting changes and setting daily screen-time limits. Users under 16 will need parental approval to make any changes that reduce the default safety restrictions. Soon, parents will also be able to directly adjust these settings to strengthen protections further.
With IANS inputs