The National Desk, September 2024
Instagram is rolling out new restrictions on the accounts of its teen users amid mounting pressure from parents and lawmakers to protect children online and growing findings about the damage social media can do to young people’s wellbeing. Along with high-profile legislation and pressure from Congress, Meta is facing dozens of lawsuits from state attorneys general accusing it of harming young people by knowingly created a platform that addicts children to it and causes them harm through exposure to sensitive subjects and damaging their mental health.
Meta-owned Instagram unveiled a “Teen Accounts” feature on Tuesday that is expected to be rolled out in the U.S. over the next 60 days. Anyone under 18 who signs up for Instagram and preexisting accounts will be migrated to the new system that includes several restrictions that parents and advocacy groups have been calling for. “We hope these changes give parents peace of mind about how their children use our apps and provide them with a clear, manageable way to keep tabs on their child’s smartphone use,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said in a post on X.
