In a significant move to address mounting concerns over social media’s impact on young users, Instagram has announced a sweeping overhaul of its privacy settings for teenage accounts.
This development comes as the platform faces increasing pressure to safeguard younger users in an era of heightened awareness about online safety and mental health.
Key Changes to their Policy
- Introduction of a “sleep mode” disabling notifications between 10 PM and 7 AM.
- Default Private Accounts: All new accounts for users under 18 will be set to private by default.
- Restricted Messaging: Teens can only receive direct messages from people they follow or existing connections.
- Content Filtering: “Sensitive content,” including videos depicting violence or promoting certain procedures, will be limited.
- Time Management: Notifications after 60 minutes of continuous use.
Implementation Timeline
- Effective immediately in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
- EU rollout planned for later this year.
- Existing teen accounts are to be migrated within 60 days.
Enhanced Age Verification
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, acknowledges the challenge of age falsification and plans to implement more rigorous age verification processes.
This includes: requiring verification for new accounts with adult birthdates as well as utilising AI/ML technology to identify and automatically restrict teen accounts masquerading as adult profiles.
Parental Controls
Changes will also be made to “parental supervision” mode as parental approval will be required for users under 16 to change to less restrictive settings as well as increased visibility for parents into their teen’s online interactions.
Cybersecurity Implications
1. Data Privacy: The default private accounts could significantly reduce the amount of teen data accessible to third parties such as advertisers or potential malicious actors, which is crucial for young users who may not fully understand the risks associated with oversharing.
2. Social Engineering Protection: Restricted messaging may help mitigate risks of phishing and other social engineering attacks targeting vulnerable young users.
3. Digital Footprint Management: With tighter controls over who can view their posts, teens can potentially shape a more controlled online presence, preventing unnecessary or harmful long-term exposure.
Reaction and Criticism
While some see these changes as a positive step, critics argue that they fail to address deeper issues.
For example, concerns persist that Meta’s business model, which heavily relies on data collection and targeted advertising, inherently conflicts with user well-being.
Additionally, there is skepticism about whether self-regulation in the tech industry is truly effective.
Many advocate for more comprehensive, independent oversight and stricter regulations to ensure long-term protection, especially for vulnerable users like teenagers.
There is a belief that without external regulation, the measures may serve more as a public relations strategy than a genuine effort to safeguard youngsters.
