After launching Teen Accounts last year, Instagram is set to test the use of the artificial intelligence tools to detect teenagers on Instagram, even if they are falsely claiming to be adults. The company is also taking a step to automatically switch these accounts to Teen Accounts. This initiative comes as part of Instagram’s efforts to better protect users under 18, following criticism over its privacy practices.
The Meta-owned platform has already been using AI to verify users’ ages, but it has now confirmed that it is actively deploying this technology to ensure teens are registered under Teen Accounts, not adult profiles.
Meta says teens will receive alerts after 60 minutes on Instagram. A “sleep mode” activates from 10 PM to 7 AM, disabling notifications and sending automatic replies to direct messages during that time.
Moreover, Instagram announced it will begin sending notifications to parents, offering tips on how to discuss the importance of sharing accurate age information online with their children. For added safety, the platform rolled out a new feature in India known as Teen Accounts In February, aimed specifically at users under the age of 16.
By default, teen accounts are set to private, meaning they must approve new followers, and non-followers cannot view or interact with their content.
Parents can restrict Instagram access at night or during designated times with a simple toggle.
This applies to all users under 16 (both existing and new) and those under 18 when signing up.
Teens will have the strictest messaging settings enabled, allowing them to receive messages only from people they follow or are already connected with.
Once the set time limit set by parents is reached, the teen will no longer be able to access Instagram.
Teens will automatically be placed in the most restrictive setting, limiting their exposure to sensitive content, such as depictions of physical fights or promotions of cosmetic procedures, in areas like Explore and Reels.
Parents can see a list of people their teen has messaged in the past seven days (without reading message content).
Teens can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow. Additionally, the strictest version of the anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, will be enabled by default to filter out offensive language in comments and DM requests
Teens will receive notifications prompting them to exit the app after 60 minutes of daily usage.
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