The social network Instagram has announced new features to improve safety for teenagers, including several parental control tools in March 2022 that will allow a minor's account to be linked to that of a designated adult. This will enable the adult to restrict searches via the Instagram bar and also control the amount of time their child spends on the app. Children will be able to report potentially malicious profiles directly to their parent's account.
«Take a break» has been launched in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. This new tool allows teenagers to become aware of the amount of time they spend on the platform. If a user has been scrolling for a certain amount of time, the social network will suggest that they take a break and set reminders for future sessions (global launch of this new option planned for early 2022).
Furthermore, since the beginning of the year, teenagers automatically have a private account when they register on Instagram, which prevents certain malicious adults from sending private messages to minors they do not follow.
In order to strengthen the protection of minors, Instagram will also disable the ability for users to tag teenagers who do not follow them, or to include them in suggested accounts.
Instagram will also introduce a new feature that will encourage teenagers to explore other topics if they have been focusing on the same theme for a certain amount of time, and recommend other accounts for them to explore.
A new feature, also currently being tested, should allow users to delete entire blocks of photos, videos and comments in order to better control their past activity.
