Instagram Takes Steps To Protect Teen Privacy

Social media can be a difficult place for children and teens to navigate. For years, people have raised concerns about the dangers young people face on these platforms, including concerns over privacy, exploitation, and exposure to dangerous or inappropriate content. And many parents have no idea what their children are doing on social media sites and who they are engaging with. 

Instagram recently announced that they are taking steps to make their platform safer for teen users. Later this year, all accounts for users 18 years old and younger will automatically be made private and will be set to the most sensitive content control settings. These changes mean that teen users will only be able to exchange messages and comments with and be tagged in photos by people who are already connected to them. 

These steps are designed to restrict the damaging content that teens see, such as things that degrade their body image, and to limit their interactions with dangerous strangers who prey on the naivety and vulnerability of young people. It also seeks to engage parents in their child’s social media activity, particularly for younger teens. 

17 and 16-year-old users will be able to turn the “teen” settings off manually. For teens aged 13-15, they will have to get parental permission. While this structure obviously still has loopholes, it is a positive step towards keeping young people safe online without limiting their freedom of expression. 

Do you think that these steps are enough to keep youth safe? Let us know in the comments or on our social media platforms. 

In our Today’s Digital Citizens program, Youth Speak Out International seeks to help young people navigate the online world and become effective digital citizens. We thank Prime Time Palm Beach County for supporting our work.