- tech360.tv
Instagram Bolsters Teen Safety with New Account Features
Instagram introduces private-by-default settings for teen accounts. New features include time management tools and restricted messaging. Changes to be implemented in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with EU to follow.
From Tuesday, new teen accounts in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia will automatically be set to private by default. Existing teen accounts will transition to these new settings over the next two months. European Union users can expect similar changes later this year.
Meta, Instagram's parent company, acknowledges the challenge of age verification on the platform. To combat this, they are developing technology to identify teen accounts masquerading as adult profiles. These accounts will be automatically placed into restricted teen modes.
The new teen accounts will have limited access to sensitive content and restricted messaging capabilities. Teens will only be able to receive direct messages from followers or existing connections. Additionally, Instagram is introducing time management features, including notifications after 60 minutes of app usage and a 'sleep mode' that disables notifications between 10 pm and 7 am.
Naomi Gleit, Meta's head of product, explained the rationale behind these changes: "The three concerns we're hearing from parents are that their teens are seeing content that they don't want to see or that they're getting contacted by people they don't want to be contacted by or that they're spending too much time on the app. So teen accounts is really focused on addressing those three concerns".
While users aged 16 and 17 can opt out of these restrictions, those under 16 will require parental permission to modify their settings. Meta is also expanding parental supervision tools, allowing guardians to monitor their children's online activities more closely.
The announcement has received mixed reactions from various quarters. New York Attorney General Letitia James called it 'an important first step' but emphasised that more needs to be done. Critics, like Nicole Gill from Accountable Tech, argue that these measures fall short of addressing fundamental issues with Meta's business model.
Some sceptics question the timing of the announcement, with Senator Marsha Blackburn suggesting it might be a response to pending legislation. Industry analysts, however, predict minimal financial impact on Meta from these changes.
• Instagram introduces private-by-default settings for teen accounts
• New features include time management tools and restricted messaging
• Changes to be implemented in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, with EU to follow
Source: AP NEWS