New Instagram parental controls: What parents need to know

Child monitoring in today’s world is like walking in a minefield with your eyes opened wide on your child’s social media activity. Social media is the place that teenagers communicate, study, and sometimes construct their self-image, but it is also the place that exposes them. So, Instagram, a popular application for teenagers, has been under criticism for a kid-friendly experience. This has created pressure on Instagram to develop apparatus for Instagram parental controls.

However, these controls are followed by a load of questions. How restrictive are they? Are they reliable enough? But most importantly, will all these proposed measures safely affect the lives and future of your teenager? Scroll down to find out the specifics of what these new tools do, how to turn them on and what you should know to keep your kids safe on Instagram.

What is the new Instagram update for minors?

Instagram admits that teens require a different code of conduct than adults and is working to provide the former. It goes beyond restricting use of social media, but encouraging the younger generation how to use the available tech platforms in a safer way. This new update is directed specifically at users who registered as being under 18 and is targeted straight at some of the issues parents have been complaining about since the app was launched. Here’s a rundown of the latest changes:

AI-powered age verification

It might be surprising, but Instagram’s algorithms have learned how to determine the age of a user more effectively. This update is meant for avoiding situations when kids who are under seventeen (17) years of age would fake their age to access adult content. Instagram is applying AI in this case, trying to eradicate all the content unsuitable for people under 18 years old.

Blocking sensitive content

New rules specify that content with sexual themes and depictions, violence and other such materials are now filtered out for children. It separates the good from the bad and general content which makes it difficult for the youth to come across some mature content.

Restricted DMs for unknown adults

Now, only the teens that follow each other can communicate in Direct Messages with each other, other adults cannot. In this new feature that the social networks website intends to introduce, users will be able to prevent strangers from being able to contact them, thus preventing the potential predators and con artists from contacting them.

Take-a-break reminders

Recently, Instagram introduced pop-up notifications to young users encouraging them to put the app aside for a while. That’s why if your teen has been using Instagram for hours, scrolling, it will gently remind them to take a break.

To this change, I am happy that Instagram is moving precisely in the direction to ensure that the platform is safer for youngsters. However, let’s examine the particular rules, which Instagram has put into force and whether they are going to bring any results.

What are the new Instagram restrictions?

Let’s be real – restrictions remain effective only to a certain degree. Teenagers, you may have noticed, are extremely skilled in the art of figuring out how not to get caught breaking the rules. Here are the main restrictions Instagram now has in place:

For users aged 13 and up

In terms of the policy regulation, there is an age requirement of 13 years on the creation of an Instagram Account. That being the case, the existence of this rule is based on an honesty policy all along. Imagining competence solely depends on users to provide their correct age during registration with Instagram. But as well understood, teenagers have the capacity to lie about their age with the intention of getting the app at an earlier date. Therefore, keeping in mind that 13+ is the minimum age to use IG, it’s not the most effective barrier.

Sensitive content control

Instagram has added safety features that temporarily blur any adult or ‘sensitive’ content from the eyes of a teen user. This includes:

• Violence and graphic images: Images of violence are less likely to appear in a video or a photograph, which teenagers earlier could easily come across.
• Sexually explicit content: Adult content images and videos will also be limited for users who are less than 18 years of age.

Like every other filter this one is not perfect but it is at least helpful when it comes to slashing one’s chances of coming across unhealthy content. Using the allowed filters, parents can make the settings even stricter using Instagram’s own parental controls.

Limiting Communication with other users

Recently Instagram again restricted interacting with unknown individuals by limiting the ability of adults to send them direct messages. Here’s how it works:

• Only mutual followers can send DMs: This rule restricts people teens can message in DM’S to the people they already interact with and are followers hence minimizing messages from strangers.
• Suspicious accounts: For example, if Instagram decides that an adult account is potentially “suspicious,” it blocks them from messaging teenagers at all.

This barrier also protects the kids against unwanted interaction, scams, and potential grooming attempts by strangers. For parents, it adds an extra layer of reassurance that predators aren’t messaging their teen saying nasty things.

Notification of Kids screen time and a break reminder

Knowing when to pause constantly keeps teenagers at check because they can spend hours scrolling through social media. Though these are quite indirect, which prevents teens from being frightened, such messages guide them to work on the transformation of their relationships with social networks.

Of course, these restrictions do help, but they are not ideal. But such filters can easily be avoided by the teens should they be willing to go through the trouble, especially if they are Computer literate. That is why Instagram’s controls are useful but supervision is necessary.

What are the new Instagram parental controls?

The instagram parental controls are your new best friend if you’re a parent. These tools offer you a much better idea of what your teenager is doing on the internet without having to be the over-protective parent who snoops around at every chance they get. Here’s what these controls offer:

Monitoring app cctivity: This will allow parents to know about the extent of the teen’s interaction with Instagram, such as the time they spent on it at a given period, the amount of screen time used and the days when the app is most used.

Settingscreen time limits: Parents can limit the daily usage of the application either partially or completely. After your teen achieves the screen time duration that’s been set, the use of the app is banned for the rest of the day. This feature is useful as a way of controlling how often and long your teen is on social media.

Detailed usage reports: You want to know what your teen is watching? Instagram’s weekly reports provide insights on:

• Number of posts viewed
• Likes and follows made
• Messages sent and received

This overhead view lets the parents know how long their teen is active, where their attention is or even when they are idle.

Content restrictions: Another advantage of parental controls is that you can ban specific kinds of material depending on your child’s age. This feature is actually a common option wherein only posts with certain topics can be viewed by the teen. This also empowers the parents.

Messaging control options: Private messages can be restricted to sightings of the users who are followers of each other, limiting conversation to a familiar crowd. Moreover, this tool goes a long way in reducing unnecessary approaches but provides a better environment for the youth in engaging their friends and families.

These controls are a positive start to making social media less risky for teenagers. Remember however that no form of parental control can substitute for discussion on safe web use.

How to set up new Instagram parental controls?

Update the App

The parental control features are seen only in the latest version of the application.

Revise steps

It may seem quite easy to set up Instagram parental control. Here’s a quick guide to getting started:

1. Ensure that both you and your teen are on an updated app version.
2. Launch the app on your kid’s phone.
3. Tap on their profile picture at the bottom right of the screen.
4. Tap on the three lines on the top left to access account settings.
5. Go to “supervision” options.
6. Find the parent account and send an invitation.
7. Accept the supervision invitation on your end and customize permissions.

You can change screen time limits, messaging permissions, and even check their followers through the family center. All the permissions you specify can be changed at any time through the Meta family center. So, as your kid grows up, you can ease them into the world of Instagram by slowly letting go of the account restriction. This will help your child from being overwhelmed with something like an addiction to Instagram.

Note: Once your kid turns 18, these supervision controls will be removed automatically.

Review and Finalize Permissions:

Instagram will spell out what you are allowing when you permit the app use of your phone, content filtering, among other things. Do take a few minutes to go through each one.

Make Adjustments as Needed

The greatest strength of Instagram’s parental controls is versatility. When creating these restrictions, you may set default controls to control various components. From there, you can change these controls as you see fit in the future.

To a lot of folks out there, setting the parental controls does not take days, weeks or even hours but it only takes minutes. And for the next one, two or three months, ‘peace of mind’ is guaranteed. Though these tools will not necessarily capture every single concern, it will help to make the use of Instagram more thoughtful.

How to add further protection for your teens?

It’s true that the platform has several tools to support such efforts, but there is much more out there. Here are additional ways to reinforce your teen’s safety on Instagram and beyond:

Use FlashGet Kids

FlashGet Kids gives you a number of control features that Instagram on its own does not embrace. For example, here is what you will get with robust app

FlashGet Kids:

• App blocking and usage reports to ensure your child isn’t addicted to Instagram.
• Location tracking and geofencing to ensure your child doesn’t connect with any stranger they found on Instagram.
• Notification tracking to keep an eye on all the messages and updates your child gets on their phone.
• Screen mirroring and remote snapshot to check everything your child sees on their mobile screen.

All in all, FlashGet Kids is a one-stop fix to all of your concerns when it comes to safe social media usage.

Teach about cyber behavior and safety

Parens should teach your teenagers the need to protect their privacy online. Teach them basic rules like:

• Refusal to publish personal details (address, phone number, school).
• Forbidding themselves to write or comment something using their real name.
• Interacting only with friends and family.

Examine ways of preventing cyberbullying

Cyber bullying thrives on social media. Equip your teen with strategies to handle it, such as:

• Reporting all the bullies, or any user that gives them the creeps.
• Reporting harmful content.
• Keeping Communication Open: Tell them to come to you if they have been bullied or harassed.

Ensure privacy settings and double check them

Instagram tends to change its settings quite often, thus, do the same checkup with your teen on its privacy settings every few months. Make sure:

• Accounts are private: This reduces visibility to users who actually know each other in a social network.
• Posts don’t have location Tags: They Should never post something that reveals their location in the real world.

Balance of participation is with detachment.

Getting a little out of the digital sight empowers them, and makes them feel that there is more to life than their digital self. This would also help them build self-esteem and a better mindset.

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