Social media comes with its ups and downs. While sharing your life with friends and family through photos and posts can act like a virtual scrapbook, there are significant social pressures placed on some users due to the connectivity between the user and the rest of the world.
Instagram understands that not all of its 2.4 billion users should face these public pressures and is now adding safeguards for users under 18.
The New Safeguards for Teens on Instagram
Starting this week, new Instagram users in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia will automatically have private accounts. Existing teen accounts will transition to this default safeguard over the next 60 days.
In addition to the new safeguard, teen accounts will face more stringent messaging restrictions. Now, teens will only be able to chat with users they follow.
“Sensitive content,” such as promotions for violent content or cosmetic procedures, will also be restricted, and a time limit prompt will appear after 60 minutes of being online. This new timer will include a “sleep mode,” which deactivates all notifications from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Were These Changes Necessary?
Naomi Gleit, Meta’s head of product, stated that these changes became necessary after parents expressed concerns about unwanted content, unsolicited contact, and excessive screen time.
“The three concerns we’re hearing from parents are that their teens are seeing content they don’t want to see, that they’re getting contacted by people they don’t want to hear from, or that they’re spending too much time on the app,” Gleit said in a statement.
These concerns have sparked a wider conversation among the public after US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned parents last year about the connection between social media and young people’s mental health. In June, Dr. Murthy called for a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, which would require Congress to implement such an act.
A study from Yale Medicine also found that social media can negatively impact a person’s sleep and attention while increasing anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
Will These Warnings Work?
Meta understands that some teens might lie about their age when signing up for an account, but the company says it plans to implement stricter age verification measures in the future. The company, which also owns Facebook, is developing new technology to detect and restrict accounts pretending to be adults.
Meta aims to address parents’ concerns over kids’ doom scrolling and mental health by encouraging new safeguards and tools that can promote important conversations about online behavior and addiction.
