Introducing Teen Accounts in India on Instagram

introducing-teen-accounts-in-india-on-instagram

New Delhi, February 11, 2025

To mark Safer Internet Day, we are reinforcing our commitment to online safety of young users with the expansion of Instagram Teen Accounts to India in a phased manner. Teen accounts are designed to create a more secure and age-appropriate space for teens online. With built-in protections, Teen Accounts limit unwanted interactions, enhance privacy settings, and provide parents with greater oversight, ensuring a safer social media experience for our young users.

In an era where digital interactions shape young minds, ensuring their safety online has never been more critical. Parents, educators, and policymakers alike have voiced concerns over issues like cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content, and privacy risks. Instagram’s new Teen Accounts address these concerns by automatically placing all teens in the highest safety settings, empowering them with better tools to navigate the digital world securely.

“At Meta, creating a safer and more responsible digital environment is a top priority. With the expansion of Instagram Teen Accounts to India, we are strengthening protections, enhancing content controls, and empowering parents, while ensuring a safer experience for teens." - Natasha Jog, Director, Public Policy India, Instagram

Built-in Protections for Teens

The Teen Account protections are specifically designed to tackle key concerns parents have, such as who their teens interact with online, the type of content they are exposed to, and how they manage their time on the platform. These safeguards are enabled by default, and for users under 16, any adjustments to make settings less restrictive would require parental approval

For parents, Teen Accounts provide supervision tools that allow them to monitor and manage their teen’s experience, including approving changes to safety settings and setting daily screen-time limits.

“Teen safety online is a growing concern for parents, and Instagram’s new Teen Accounts feature is a step in the right direction. Strengthening privacy settings, limiting unwanted interactions, and adding parental supervision tools can help create a safer space for young users. At Kidsstoppress, we’re committed to helping parents stay informed and start meaningful conversations with their teens about responsible social media use,” - Mansi Zaveri, Founder & CEO of Kidsstoppress.com.

Expanded Supervision Tools for Parents

For teens under 16, any changes to make settings less restrictive will require parental approval. Parents can also enable supervision for older teens (16+) at any time, allowing them to review and approve changes to their teen’s safety settings. Soon, parents will have the ability to directly adjust these settings to provide even stronger protections.

While Teen Accounts come with automatic safeguards, parents who want additional control can now access new supervision features, including

“The recent updates to Instagram’s teen accounts introduce an additional layer of security and represent an incremental step toward strengthening online safety on Meta platforms. Balancing teen autonomy and online safety remains a complex challenge, and this initiative is a move in that direction. With effective implementation and oversight, such updates have the potential to drive meaningful improvements in teen safety online.” - Uma Subramanian, Co-Founder & Director, RATI Foundation