MENLO PARK, CA.-New Instagram settings to promote teen safety on the social media platform are now in effect.
Meta announced the creation of “Teen Accounts” to better protect young users under on Sept. 17, following calls over the past three years from authorities that the social media platform damaged the mental health of teen users.
“We’re introducing Instagram Teen Accounts to automatically place teens in built-in protections and reassure parents that teens are having safe experiences,” Meta said in a statement announcing the changes.
As of Sept. 24, the accounts of Instagram users between the ages of 13 and 17 will automatically be set to private and put into the strictest messaging settings.
Only those already connected to the accounts will be able to message the new teen accounts, tag photos or make comments, which will limit the content teens can see and help ensure their safety, according to Meta.
Teen account users will also get a reminder when they have been on the platform for an hour and notifications will be automatically muted between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
