Tech Tip: Instagram's New Tools to Protect Young Users
2024-10-10
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1Meta's Instagram service recently introduced some built-in tools designed to protect young users.
2The changes also give parents more control over their children's accounts to improve safety and limit the amount of time spent on the social networking app.
3Instagram says the new tools aim to "reassure parents that teens are having safe experiences."
4The main change was the establishment of Teen Accounts, which Meta says was developed "with parents and teens in mind."
5The Associated Press offers the following tips as a guide for parents to get the most out of the new tools.
6Instagram already restricts anyone under 13 from signing up for the service.
7Now, teen accounts will automatically be set to private.
8That means they will have to accept or reject requests from new followers.
9Other users will not be able to see a teen user's posts and videos or communicate with the account.
10Teens will also face messaging restrictions.
11They can only receive direct messages from people they are following or who follow them.
12But they can still send messages to other accounts.
13Teen Accounts will also restrict certain kinds of material, or content.
14This will include sensitive subjects such as videos of people fighting or content that pushes methods to improve appearance.
15In addition, Instagram's anti-bullying tools will be set to the highest level to prevent offensive words and phrases in comments and direct message requests.
16To restrict usage time, teens will get a message to stop using the app after it has been open for more than an hour.
17This message can be ignored, however.
18The new limits will be turned on automatically for all teens.
19But 16 and 17-year-olds will have the ability to turn them off.
20Children under 16 will need parental permission to do so.
21Teens might also seek to lie about their age to get around the restrictions.
22But Meta has made it more difficult for them to do so.
23Young users are required to confirm their ages by uploading an identification card or by sending a short video of themselves.
24Instagram says it will also begin testing artificial intelligence (AI) software early next year that will aim to prevent false birth dates from being accepted.
25If a parent does not think the limits for their child are strong enough, they can add more protective controls.
26For example, a parent has the ability to see who their teen has traded messages with within the past seven days.
27The new tools also provide controls for parents to set daily limits for Instagram use.
28A parent can also block a teen from using Instagram during specific times of the day and follow subjects they are seeing.
29To set up additional controls, a parent first needs to set up family supervision on his or her account.
30On the mobile app, this can be done by going into settings and scrolling to find the family center to activate the tools.
31Next, the Teen Account will have to invite a parent.
32This will be in the form of a link the teen can send by text message to the parent.
33After accepting the invite, the teen user has 48 hours to confirm the parent's response.
34The restrictive tools will be automatically activated for anyone under 18 who now signs up for Instagram in the U.S., Britain, Canada and Australia.
35For existing accounts, the restrictions will be put in place by mid-November.
36The protections will be available for teens in the European Union's 27 countries beginning later this year.
37And the rest of the world will get Teen Accounts for Instagram in January.
38Meta says it will also bring the changes to other services like Facebook next year.
39I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Meta's Instagram service recently introduced some built-in tools designed to protect young users. The changes also give parents more control over their children's accounts to improve safety and limit the amount of time spent on the social networking app. 2Instagram says the new tools aim to "reassure parents that teens are having safe experiences." The main change was the establishment of Teen Accounts, which Meta says was developed "with parents and teens in mind." 3The Associated Press offers the following tips as a guide for parents to get the most out of the new tools. 4What limits will young users have? 5Instagram already restricts anyone under 13 from signing up for the service. Now, teen accounts will automatically be set to private. That means they will have to accept or reject requests from new followers. Other users will not be able to see a teen user's posts and videos or communicate with the account. 6Teens will also face messaging restrictions. They can only receive direct messages from people they are following or who follow them. But they can still send messages to other accounts. 7Teen Accounts will also restrict certain kinds of material, or content. This will include sensitive subjects such as videos of people fighting or content that pushes methods to improve appearance. In addition, Instagram's anti-bullying tools will be set to the highest level to prevent offensive words and phrases in comments and direct message requests. 8To restrict usage time, teens will get a message to stop using the app after it has been open for more than an hour. This message can be ignored, however. 9Can the new limits be changed? 10The new limits will be turned on automatically for all teens. But 16 and 17-year-olds will have the ability to turn them off. Children under 16 will need parental permission to do so. 11Teens might also seek to lie about their age to get around the restrictions. But Meta has made it more difficult for them to do so. Young users are required to confirm their ages by uploading an identification card or by sending a short video of themselves. 12Instagram says it will also begin testing artificial intelligence (AI) software early next year that will aim to prevent false birth dates from being accepted. 13New controls for parents 14If a parent does not think the limits for their child are strong enough, they can add more protective controls. For example, a parent has the ability to see who their teen has traded messages with within the past seven days. 15The new tools also provide controls for parents to set daily limits for Instagram use. A parent can also block a teen from using Instagram during specific times of the day and follow subjects they are seeing. 16How to set up parental controls 17To set up additional controls, a parent first needs to set up family supervision on his or her account. On the mobile app, this can be done by going into settings and scrolling to find the family center to activate the tools. 18Next, the Teen Account will have to invite a parent. This will be in the form of a link the teen can send by text message to the parent. After accepting the invite, the teen user has 48 hours to confirm the parent's response. 19Can I use the teen settings right away? 20The restrictive tools will be automatically activated for anyone under 18 who now signs up for Instagram in the U.S., Britain, Canada and Australia. For existing accounts, the restrictions will be put in place by mid-November. 21The protections will be available for teens in the European Union's 27 countries beginning later this year. And the rest of the world will get Teen Accounts for Instagram in January. Meta says it will also bring the changes to other services like Facebook next year. 22I'm Bryan Lynn. 23The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English, with additional information from Meta. 24___________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26app - n. a small computer program that can be put onto a mobile phone or other electronic device 27reassure - v. to say something to stop someone from worrying 28automatic - adj. working by itself with little human control 29supervise - v. to watch a person or activity to make sure things are being done correctly, safely, etc.