Teenagers on Instagram will soon be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and will not be able to change their settings, Meta has announced.
In a blog post, Meta explained: ‘This includes hiding or not recommending posts with strong language, certain risky stunts, and additional content that could encourage potentially harmful behaviours, such as posts showing marijuana paraphernalia.’
Currently, anyone under 18 who signs up for Instagram is automatically placed into a restrictive teenage account unless a parent or guardian permits them to opt out.
The teenage accounts are private by default, have usage restrictions on them and already filter out more ‘sensitive’ content – such as those promoting cosmetic procedures.
But youngsters often lie about their ages when they sign up for social media, and while Meta has begun using artificial intelligence to find these, the company didn’t confirm how many adult accounts are actually minors.
The company is also adding an even stricter setting that parents can set up for their children in a bid to help children’s online safety.
As it seeks to add safeguards for younger users, Meta has already promised it would not show inappropriate content to teenagers, such as posts about self-harm, eating disorders or suicide.
But this doesn’t always work.
A recent report found that teen accounts researchers created were recommended age-inappropriate sexual content, including ‘graphic sexual descriptions, the use of cartoons to describe demeaning sexual acts, and brief displays of nudity’.
In addition, Instagram also recommended a ‘range of self-harm, self-injury, and body image content’ on teenage accounts.
The report says these ‘would be reasonably likely to result in adverse impacts for young people, including teenagers experiencing poor mental health, or self-harm and suicidal ideation and behaviours’.
Meta called the report ‘misleading, dangerously speculative’, and that it misrepresents its efforts on teenage safety.
Josh Golin, the executive director of the Fairplay organisation, which seeks to safeguard children’s experience of a commercialised media, said he is sceptical about the implementation of Meta’s new plan.
‘From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They’re about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn’t want to see, and they’re about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what’s happening on Instagram,’ he said.
‘Splashy press releases won’t keep kids safe, but real accountability and transparency will.’
Meta said it already blocks certain search terms related to sensitive topics such as suicide and eating disorders, but the latest update will expand this to a broader range of terms, such as ‘alcohol’ and ‘gore’.
The PG-13 update will also apply artificial intelligence chats and experiences targeted to teenagers, Meta.
For parents who want an even stricter setting for their kids, Meta is also launching a ‘limited content’ restriction that will block more content and remove teens’ ability to see, leave, or receive comments under posts.
Other countries are making the move to ban social media for under-16s entirely.
Children under 16 in Denmark will be banned from using social media without parental permission, the country’s prime minister announced.
The Scandinavian country follows Australia and Norway in restricting sites like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram for those 15 and under.
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