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Porch & Parish

Instagram's Safer Teen Accounts: Coming in 2025

Oct 08, 2024 11:55AM ● By Lauren Pope

Instagram's stepping up its game for younger users. In 2025, they're launching special accounts for teens aged 13-17. Here's what's changing:

Privacy First

  • New teen accounts automatically set to private
  • Under 16? Parental approval needed to go public
  • 16-17 can choose, unless parents set up supervision

Messaging Makeover

  • Teens can only chat with followers or previous contacts
  • Helps block unwanted messages from strangers

Content Control

  • Built-in filters limit exposure to sensitive content
  • Offensive comments and DMs get auto-hidden
  • Explore page and search results? Less risky stuff shows up

Tag, You're It (Or Not)

  • Only followers can tag or mention teens in posts
  • Remixing teen content? Limited to mutual followers

Bedtime Boundaries

  • "Sleep mode" kicks in from 10 PM to 7 AM
  • Mutes notifications and auto-replies to messages

Parent Perspective

  • Can set daily time limits on Instagram and Threads
  • Get insights into teen's usage (but can't read private chats)
  • Approve requests to change certain safety settings

The Big Picture: Instagram's trying to strike a balance - keeping teens safer without completely killing their social media experience. It's giving parents some oversight while still respecting teens' privacy.