Instagram is taking a significant step toward ensuring the safety of its young users in India by expanding its Instagram Teen Accounts feature. With over 350 million users in India, this initiative is set to enhance content controls, strengthen protective measures, and empower parents with monitoring capabilities. The feature, which was initially launched in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, is now available to Indian users under the age of 16.
What Are Instagram Teen Accounts?
Introduced last year, Instagram Teen Accounts aim to create a safer environment for younger users by implementing default privacy settings, content moderation, and interaction restrictions. These accounts are set to private by default, meaning only approved followers can view content. Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has also imposed messaging limitations, content restrictions, daily usage limits, and a sleep mode to promote healthier social media habits among teens.
According to Natasha Jog, Director of Public Policy India at Instagram, the company is committed to creating a safer and more responsible digital environment. She stated, “With the expansion of Instagram Teen Accounts to India, we are strengthening protections, enhancing content controls, and empowering parents while ensuring a safer experience for teens.”
Key Features of Instagram Teen Accounts
The expansion of Instagram Teen Accounts to India includes several protective measures:
1. Parental Supervision & Control
- Users under 16 require parental consent to modify certain settings.
- Parents of users over 16 can choose to enable supervision of their teen’s account.
- Parents can monitor who their child interacts with without viewing messages.
- Ability to set daily usage limits and block access during specific hours.
2. Messaging & Interaction Restrictions
- Teens can only receive messages from connected people.
- A “connected person” is someone they follow, have messaged before, or share a connection with on other Meta platforms.
- Tagging restrictions allow teens to be tagged only by people they follow.
- Offensive words and phrases are automatically filtered out from messages.
3. Content Moderation & Customization
- Restricts content related to violence, cosmetic products, and other sensitive topics from appearing on Explore and Reels.
- Teens can personalize content by selecting topics like Soccer, Crafts, Dance, Music, Food & Drink, and Computer Science.
4. Age Verification Methods
- Teens often misrepresent their age to bypass restrictions. To address this, Meta is implementing:
- ID verification
- Video selfie recording for age confirmation
Compliance with India’s Data Protection Law
The expansion of Instagram Teen Accounts aligns with India’s proposed data protection laws, which state that companies cannot process data of users under 18 without verifiable parental consent. If these regulations are enforced, platforms may need to introduce additional protective measures.
Why This Matters for Indian Teens & Parents
Social media safety is a growing concern, and the introduction of Instagram Teen Accounts provides a structured approach to protect young users from inappropriate content and harmful interactions. Parents now have more control, while teens can enjoy a safer and more engaging online experience.
With India being one of Instagram’s largest markets, these protective measures not only comply with regulations but also set a benchmark for digital responsibility and user safety. As social media continues to evolve, such steps ensure that teens can navigate the platform safely and responsibly.
