Instagram launches ‘teen accounts’ to boost child safety – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

For teens who love to scroll, screen time may soon look different.

On Tuesday, Instagram’s parent company Meta announced that users 18 and older will be automatically placed into a new type of private account.

“These teen accounts have built-in limits on who can contact them and what content they can see, as well as more ways to connect and explore their interests, all guided by their parents,” said MC Capelo, head of safety policy.

Capelo said the move gives parents more control and is long overdue, influenced by conversations with safety experts and consultations with families.

The move also follows lawsuits filed by dozens of states against Meta, accusing the company of harming young people.

“They’ll be able to see less sensitive content right away. They’ll be able to have… or we’ll protect them a little bit more in terms of interactions, so who can tag them, who can mention them in the content, and it’s only the people that they follow,” she said.

Meta says the new accounts will also include time notifications and encouraging breaks. They will also allow parents to set time limits or even block access at certain times of the day. The new accounts also include a sleep mode, which allows notifications to be turned off at night.

“I don’t trust technology. I know it’s always changing and the restrictions other people have are not the same as our family’s,” said Aimee Urista, Dallas’ mother.

Urista is one of the parents who have resisted screen time for their children.

She pulled her children, ages 5 and 10, out of public school to avoid devices and said she and her husband have already decided not to allow them to have social media accounts for years to come.

Urista said Tuesday’s announcement was not enough to sway his decision.

“I think the best thing for parents and for us is definitely less technology. More face time. More time outdoors. I mean, there are so many issues with technology that I don’t trust,” she said.

Meta said the changes will go into effect Tuesday, when new users under 18 will be automatically enrolled in private accounts. Existing users in the United States will be transitioned over in the coming months.

Meta said it plans to use artificial intelligence to detect users who lie about their age and ensure they are registered on teen accounts, all in an effort to protect young people and give parents more control.

“Parents will be able to see and change all of this, and younger teens, ages 13 to 16, won’t be able to change these settings without their parents’ approval. And that’s critical to this launch,” Capelo said.