Instagram is launching parental controls

Earlier today Instagram announced that they are enforcing stricter use of the app, including controlling how teenagers view content and the implementation of parental controls starting next year. Reports state that this enforced protection stems from a recent US Senate discussion where Instagram was debated as being "toxic" for younger users.

In an official blog post titled 'Raising the standard for protecting teens and supporting parents online', Adam Mosseri, Chief Executive of Instagram, mentioned that Instagram needs to be safer for teenagers everywhere. Newly added features will aim to control how much time teenagers spend on Instagram by directly allowing parents to set a time limit on the app. According to Mosseri, parental controls will help parents "get more involved in their teen's experiences on Instagram". He also added that an educational hub will be launched in early 2022.

"Every day I see the positive impact that Instagram has for young people everywhere," said Mosseri. "I want to make sure that it stays that way, which means above all keeping them safe on Instagram."

Instagram's parent company Meta, which also oversees Facebook, is battling a serious reputational crisis after a whistleblower leaked reams of internal documents showing executives knew of their sites' risks for teens' well-being, prompting a renewed US push for regulation.

Mosseri is to testify Wednesday at a Senate committee hearing titled "Protecting Kids Online: Instagram and Reforms for Young Users. "After bombshell reports about Instagram's toxic impacts, we want to hear straight from the company's leadership why it uses powerful algorithms that push poisonous content to children driving them down rabbit holes to dark places, and what it will do to make its platform safer," said Senator Richard Blumenthal.

Instagram will be stricter about what it recommends to teen users, and will stop people from mentioning teens who don't follow them on the platform, according to Mosseri.

Instagram will also start "nudging" teens toward new topics if there is one they have been dwelling on for a while, and suggest they take a break if they have been spending a lot of time on the platform, Mosseri said. "If someone has been scrolling for a certain amount of time, we'll ask them to take a break from Instagram," Mosseri said.

The break suggestion feature launched in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States, and will expand to other countries by early next year, according to Instagram.

The platform also introduced an educational hub for parents, to "help them get more involved with their teen's experiences" and tools for them to set limits on how much time their children spend in the app, Mosseri said.

"Meta is attempting to shift attention from their mistakes by rolling out parental guides, use timers, and content control features that consumers should have had all along," Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn said in a statement. "My colleagues and I see right through what they are doing."

Meta has vehemently pushed back at accusations that its platforms are "toxic" for teens or that it puts profit over user safety. Facing pressure, the company had previously announced that it would suspend but not abandon the development of a version of Instagram meant for users younger than 13.