Instagram rolls out stricter rules for teens to help curb social-media safety concerns
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Worse than a curfew… Instagram’s cracking down on minors’ accounts. Its parent, Meta, has faced severe backlash from lawmakers and parents who say Insta can negatively affect its 100M+ teen users. Now, IG users under 16 will automatically have their accounts switched to private, making their profile visible only to friends. App notifications will be force-muted from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Meta also said it’s blocking sensitive content (like violence and cosmetic surgeries) from teens’ Reels and Explore feeds.
Digital bouncer: Teens can’t change their birthday to get around the rules. Meta’s also testing AI to place restrictions on teen users who signed up with an adult birthday.
Fine print: Teens 16 and older can tweak some of the new settings without parent permission.
Chronically online… Insta’s crackdown follows growing concerns over social media’s effect on teens’ mental health. Last year, the US Surgeon General warned that mass exposure to harmful content on social-media apps could cause anxiety and depression in young people. In February, New York City sued TikTok, Meta, Snap, and YouTube, saying the apps exploit young users and cost the city $100M/year in mental-health services. And over 40 states sued Meta last fall, accusing the techie of building addictive features to drive engagement.
Doomscroll: Yesterday, a House panel voted to advance legislation for the “Kids Online Safety Act,” which would be the biggest child online safety measure since 1998.
On the stricter end, Australia last week said it would introduce legislation that would block social-media use for teens below a certain age (likely 14 to 16).
It’s a social dilemma… Curbing engagement goes against everything social cos are trying to do, especially when it comes to their key demographic. More than half of US teens spend at least four hours a day on social media. Last year, IG made most of its ad revenue from users aged 13-17 ($4B). IG’s CEO said the new restrictions would “definitely hurt teen growth and engagement.” But with the growing pressure, Meta may have no choice.