Instagram has added new security settings for teenagers. For children under the age of 16, new accounts are now set to be private by default. Some adults are being barred from interacting with teenagers on its platform, and advertisers’ ability to target teenagers is restricted.
Instagram has stated that it wants to strike the right balance between allowing kids to find things they enjoy on Instagram while also keeping them safe. Starting this week, anyone under the age of 16 (or under the age of 18 in some countries) who joins Instagram will be assigned a private account by default. As a result, fewer people will see and respond to your content. You can allow others to re-share your content, but commenting on posts is restricted.
People under the age of 16 who already have a public Instagram account will receive a notification emphasizing the benefits of having a private account. It will also explain how to change their privacy settings. The option to switch to a public version will remain available.
The company is also making it difficult for certain adults to contact children under the age of 18. Instagram has stated that they have developed a new technology that will allow them to identify accounts that have displayed potentially serious behavior and prevent them from interacting with young people. Instagram tags potentially suspicious behavior as accounts belonging to adults who may have recently been blocked or reported by a younger person.
This technology will hide these adults’ accounts. These adults will not see accounts in Explore, Reels, or Accounts Suggested For You. These tagged accounts will not follow these children even if they search for a specific account. Flagged accounts will also be unable to comment or see comments made by these children’s accounts.
Instagram is also changing the way advertisements work for young people. Instagram will only allow advertisers to target people under 18 based on their age, gender, and location. Previously, advertisers had the option of targeting based on their interests and internet activity.
When young people reach 18, Instagram will notify them of these targeting options and provide them with tools to control their ad experience. These changes will be implemented globally and will affect Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.
These changes are currently being implemented in the United States, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, and Japan, expanding to other countries soon.
Source: Instagram