Instagram Adds Privacy Restrictions for Teen Accounts to Give Parents ‘Peace of Mind’

Users under 18 will automatically have private accounts and cannot receive messages from strangers, as part of a new update

Smartphone display with logo of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram apps in hand against blurred META logotype on white monitor background: Tallinn, Estonia – October 29, 2021

Instagram said it will start applying restrictions to kids’ accounts in an effort to make the Meta-owned app more “safe,” in the social media company’s words.

Starting Tuesday, new and existing users under 18 will have “Instagram Teen Accounts,” which will come with a few built-in restrictions. These accounts will automatically be set to private and strangers will not be able to message them — teen users will only receive messages from people they follow. These users will also have stricter “sensitive content restrictions” in place, which will block “sexually suggestive or violent” pictures and videos from being suggested to them.

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