Instagram to add restrictions to under-16 accounts

Instagram will introduce new 'Teen accounts' which will restrict what content young people can see

Instagram is making some big changes that will affect teenagers with accounts on the social media platform.

Under-16s will automatically be placed into new 'Teen accounts', which means they'll have more restrictions turned on by default.

Those who are 16 or younger will need a parent or guardian's permission to change any of the new default settings that will be applied to their account.

What changes are being introduced?

Teenagers' accounts will automatically be made private. This means they'll need to accept new followers, and people who don’t follow them won't be able to see their content or interact with them.

Their interactions will be limited, so only people they follow can tag or mention them.

There will also be restrictions on messaging, so young users will only be able to contact people they are already connected with, and their accounts will have the strictest sensitive content settings, which will limit what they can see.

The new Teen accounts will include time limits, so they'll be sent notifications telling them to leave the app after an hour's use each day, as well as sleep reminders.

Who will the changes affect?

Those aged 16 and under will need their parent or guardian's permission to change any of the new default settings which will be applied to their Instagram account

All teens in the UK, US, Canada and Australia who sign up for Instagram will now be placed into Teen accounts.

Teenagers in these countries who already have Instagram accounts will be moved into a Teen account within 60 days.

Why are the changes a big deal?

There have been calls to increase protections for children using social media

Instagram's changes to their accounts for young people come at a time where many social media platforms are facing increasing pressure to do more to protect children online.

The Online Safety Act, which comes into effect next year, will place a responsibility on social media companies to remove any illegal content quickly, or to stop it from being uploaded in the first place to better protect children and other users on their platforms.

Social media sites like Instagram, which is owned by the company Meta, have been accused of failing to keep younger users away from harmful content, and many campaigners have called for stricter rules to force companies to respond.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg, who is now Meta's president of global affairs, said the aim of the change was to "shift the balance in favour of parents" when it came to using parental controls. He also hopes it will spark a "wider debate" around online safety tools.

Alongside the protections, parents and guardians will also have the option to see who their teenagers have been recently messaging, although they won't be able to view the messages themselves.

They'll be able to set daily time limits, block app use for specific time periods, and see the topics their children have been looking at.

The new changes being introduced by Instagram will give parents more control over how their children use social media

Meta's president of global affairs also said the potential fall in the number of teenagers who use Instagram was "not reason enough" to not make the safety changes.

"Regulators need to play a role, companies need to play a role, and parents and families need to play a role," Sir Nick told PA News.

The children's charity, NSPCC, said the latest announcement was a "step in the right direction" but said Meta seemed to be "putting the emphasis on children and parents needing to keep themselves safe."

What do you think about the new changes to teenagers' accounts Instagram is introducing? Why not let us know your thoughts in the comments below.