Instagram To Use Age Prediction Technology To Enforce Content Restrictions For Teens — All You Need To Know
All users under 18 will now be placed in the 13+ setting by default, Meta said, adding that the parents who prefer extra controls can also choose a stricter setting.
Meta-owned Instagram will soon adopt a PG-13-style content system to better protect teenage users. The new rules are similar to the US “parental guidance” movie rating system.
“Instagram is revamping Teen Accounts to be guided by PG-13 movie ratings, meaning teens will see content that’s similar to what they’d see in a PG-13 movie, by default,” the tech giant announced in its latest blog on Tuesday.
All users under 18 will now be placed in the 13+ setting by default, Meta said, adding that the parents who prefer extra controls can also choose a new, stricter setting.
Teens will only be allowed to switch out of the 13+ mode if they get permission from a parent. The move is part of Meta’s effort to make Instagram safer for young users.
According to Meta, these changes were introduced after gathering feedback from thousands of parents worldwide. The company said that it invited parents to share their views to help shape the new controls.
“This is the most significant update to Teen Accounts since we introduced them last year, and builds on the automatic protections already provided by Teen Accounts to hundreds of millions of teens globally,” Meta said.
A PG-13 rating for movies recommends parental guidance, as some materials may be inappropriate for children under the age of 13.
To ensure that the feature works as intended, Meta said it will use age prediction technology. The company said that it knows teens may try to bypass restrictions by lying about their age, so this tool will help place them into the correct content settings, even if they claim to be adults.
“Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear some strong language in a PG-13 movie, teens may occasionally see something like that on Instagram, but we’re going to keep doing all we can to keep those instances as rare as possible,” Meta added.
Under the new system, Meta will work to ensure that teens are protected from a broader range of harmful or sensitive content. This includes not recommending posts with strong language, risky stunts, or content that could promote dangerous behaviour such as drug use.
