Teenagers on Instagram will soon have stricter content limits. Meta announced on Tuesday that teens will only see PG-13-level content by default, and they won’t be able to change these settings without a parent’s permission.
This means that young users with teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos that line up with what you’d find in a PG-13 movie – no sexual content, drugs, or dangerous stunts.
Meta explained in a blog post, “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.” The company called this its biggest update since launching teen accounts last year.
Borrowing Rules from Hollywood
According to Capucine Tuffier, Meta’s head of public affairs in charge of child protection, the idea is to apply the same kind of standards the movie industry uses for children under 13. The goal, she said, is to adopt “the most protective settings” for teenagers.
The rollout is starting in Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States, with plans to expand to more countries soon. Meta is also introducing an even stricter “limited content” setting that parents can turn on if they want tighter controls.
Responding to Pressure Over Teen Safety
This move comes as Meta and other social media companies face increasing pressure to prove they’re putting young users’ well-being above engagement and profits.
Meta had already promised not to show teens inappropriate material, such as posts about self-harm, eating disorders, or suicide. However, the system hasn’t always worked perfectly.
A recent report found that test teen accounts were still being recommended sexual content, including “graphic sexual descriptions, the use of cartoons to describe demeaning sexual acts, and brief displays of nudity.”
It also showed that Instagram recommended “a range of self-harm, self-injury, and body image content” that “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.”
Stricter Rules on Who Teens Can Follow
Meta says the new restrictions go even further than before. Teen users won’t be able to follow accounts that regularly share “age-inappropriate content” or have names or bios with links to adult sites, like OnlyFans.
If a teen already follows one of these accounts, they’ll lose access. They won’t be able to view or interact with those posts, send messages, or see comments from those accounts. Likewise, those accounts won’t be able to follow teens, message them, or comment on their posts.
Expanded Filters and Safer AI Chats on Instagram
Meta already blocks searches for certain sensitive topics like suicide and eating disorders. With this update, the block list will grow to include more terms such as “alcohol” and “gore,” even when they’re misspelled.
The new PG-13 rule will also apply to Meta’s artificial intelligence tools. “AIs should not give age-inappropriate responses that would feel out of place in a PG-13 movie,” the company said.
For parents who want extra peace of mind, Meta’s new “limited content” setting will block even more material and stop teens from seeing, posting, or receiving comments altogether.
Overall, Meta says these updates are designed to make Instagram a safer and more positive space for teens as they spend time online.
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