Meta has rolled out Teen Accounts for Instagram, with built-in protections that limit who can contact teenagers and the content they see.
The move comes a week after prime minister Anthony Albanese introduced legislation to enforce a minimum age for access to social media.
Users under 18 will be automatically placed into Teen Accounts, and users under 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any of the settings.
A year ago, Meta introduced supervision tools on Messenger to allow parents to see how their teens are using the platform.
With Teen Accounts on Instagram, accounts will be set to private and users will need to accept new followers, with people who don’t follow them unable to see their content or interact with them.
Similarly, teens will only be able to be messaged by people they follow or are already connected to.
Underage users will also automatically be placed into the most restrictive setting of Instagram's sensitive content controls, which limits the type of posts (such as content that shows people fighting or promotes cosmetic procedures) teens see in places like Explore and Reels.
Other features will see teens only able to be tagged or mentioned by people they follow; the most restrictive version of company's anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, automatically turned on so offensive words and phrases will be filtered out of comments and message requests; notifications telling underage users to leave the app after 60 minutes each day; and sleep mode automatically turned on between 10 PM and 7 AM, which will mute notifications overnight and send auto-replies to DMs.
Meta's MD for Australia, Will Easton, said the rollout was many months in the making.
"Instagram Teen Account protections are designed to address the biggest concerns of parents, including who their teens are interacting with online, the content they’re seeing, and whether their time is being well spent," he said.
"While Teen Accounts put new protections in place automatically, many parents want to be more involved in their teen’s experiences, so we’re also adding updates to our supervision feature.
"This new experience, guided by parents, will help many feel more controlled and confident regarding their teenager’s activity on Instagram. We know parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences.”
Meta’s global head of safety Antigone Davis recently told the Joint Committee on Social Media and Australian Society that the company has teams reviewing reported accounts that appear to be used by people who are underage, with the company also able to place checks on accounts that appear underage in the course of content review.
“If these people are unable to prove they meet our minimum age requirements, we delete their accounts,” she said.
Project Rockit, a youth-driven movement in Australia dedicated to combatting cyberbullying and helping young people stay safe online, has previously partnered with Meta to launch a Metaverse Youth Safety Guide, as well as to create a series of videos for an online image intimacy education campaign.
Project Rockit CEO and co-founder Lucy Thomas said young people are constantly seeking agency and connection, and they also need safety and guidance in online spaces.
"These updates to Instagram's Teen Accounts offer a balanced approach, empowering parents with essential oversight while respecting teens' right to participate and explore," she said.
"In an ever-evolving online world, this update ensures that young people can engage meaningfully and safely, fostering positive connections while still providing the protection they need."
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