New “Teen accounts” on Instagram with new privacy settings and features

Read on to learn more about the new account for teens, which aims to create more age-appropriate experiences for youth under 18.

Instagram has now developed a new “Teen account,” with new privacy settings and features to create more age-appropriate experiences for youth under 18. No point in guessing that teen accounts are meant for teen Instagram users.

New teen accounts on Instagram for teen Instagram users.

Tens of thousands of teenagers use Instagram, but their accounts may soon become private if they have public profiles. Starting Tuesday, Instagram plans to default all new and existing accounts set up by people who have indicated they are younger than 18 to private mode. In this setting, the account holder must approve new followers before they can see, like, or comment on their posts. The changes are made under the latest efforts by Instagram called “Teen Accounts,” which safeguards young people on the app. The company said this setting will help create more age-appropriate experiences for minors.

How will Instagram change for teen account holders?

Besides making all new and existing accounts private by default, Instagram said that it would stop teenagers from receiving Instagram notifications between 10 pm and 7 am. It will also limit sensitive content for minors, like nudity or discussions on self-harm, and prevent direct messages from people they don’t follow. The app also introduces a feature enabling teen users to select content themes they would like to see more of, such as arts and sports. The app said that 16- and 17-year-olds can make their accounts public and change default settings. However, teenagers younger than 16 need a parent’s permission to alter the privacy default, sleep mode, and other restrictions.

Teenagers trying to lie about their age setting up new Instagram accounts showing themselves as adults will require them to first verify their ages in various ways, such as by submitting a video selfie for age-estimation analysis. For 16-17-year-olds wanting to change their account settings, their family must set up the app’s parental supervision tool. A new feature on the supervision tool will enable parents to see a list of people their teenager has recently messaged and also content topics their child has selected to see more of.

Changes will be made for teen accounts first in the US, Canada, Britain, and Australia. Then, in January 2025, other countries will see changes.