Instagram on Tuesday announced plans to introduce a ‘teen account’ setting that will automatically restrict millions of accounts run by teenagers.
While the new update is set to affect all Kenyan teenagers who own Instagram accounts, the new feature will also be implemented globally.
In the upcoming update, Instagram will automatically apply the new ‘teen accounts’ settings to all users who are under the age of eighteen.
After the update, 16 and 17-year-old users will be able to manually change the app back to their preferred settings, but 13 to 15-year-old users will be required to obtain parental approval for any changes.
Screengrab of Instagram profile
Photo
Meta
According to Meta, the new feature has been designed to push teenagers to adopt parental supervision while accessing the application.
The main aim of introducing the new feature is to control access to inappropriate content by the underage.
“This new experience is designed to better support parents and give them peace of mind that their teens are safe with the right protections in place,” Meta announced.
“We know parents want to feel 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.”
Once the update is implemented, the application will allow teen users to only receive messages from people they are already connected to.
Teens will also get notifications telling them to leave the app after 60 minutes each day. Sleep mode will be turned on between 10 pm and 7 am, which will mute notifications overnight and send auto-replies.
Despite restrictions to certain contents, teens will get access to other new features, made just for them, that let them select topics they want to see more.
“The new Teen Account protections are designed to address parents’ biggest concerns including who their teens are talking to online and the content they’re seeing,” Meta noted.
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