- By Alex David
- Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:33 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Instagram has taken steps to protect young teenagers on its platform by mandating that all accounts owned by those aged 18 or younger automatically opt into 13+ content settings, from which they cannot switch without parental approval. The shift would make Instagram’s policy on content for teenagers more aligned with those of PG-13 rated movies, designed to protect young users from scenes involving graphic violence, explicit sexual activity or its being described, persistent drug use and strong language.
Stricter Defaults for Teen Accounts
In a newsroom post, Instagram called this change its “most significant update” to teen accounts since their launch last year. The platform’s AI-powered age prediction system will also help catch teens who claim to be adults, ensuring that these users are placed into the appropriate protection settings.
Although Instagram concedes that its system isn’t perfect, with some potential for people to still come across explicit content or profanity, it is attempting to reduce the probability of these types of incidents. The update extends the current automatic protections in place today, which previously were only available for home use and automatically applied across all cloud apps, to any file that a user accesses via SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business content filtering.
Parental Controls Expanded
Beyond default protections, Instagram is also handing parents more granular control over their teen’s experience. A new stricter setting that enables parents to make an even more restricted filter, in response to the feedback of thousands of parents worldwide.
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Instagram noted that these updates are designed to give parents peace of mind without completely restricting teenagers' ability to access age-appropriate content and aim to find a balance between safety, engagement, and parental oversight with these changes.
Why It Matters
Months prior to this update Instagram had added features; for example, those that inform teens when anyone new signs up on the platform and asks to send them a DM. By defaulting teens to PG-13 content, Instagram hopes to preemptively minimise exposure to potentially disturbing content—helping teens on the platform have more protection in place and empowering parents with increased confidence.