Instagram has found new ways to protect teenagers on its platform. The company has released a new set of features that will hopefully help keep teens safe on the app.
The new features range from restricting DMs between teens and adults they don’t follow to making it more difficult for adults to find teens on the app.
Here are six ways Instagram is trying to protect teens from creeps...
Why Is Instagram Strengthening Privacy for Teenagers?
Instagram has been criticized by several anti-sexual exploitation organizations, including the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation, Collective Shout, and Defend Dignity, for what the organizations described as the “rampant grooming for sex trafficking and child sexual abuse, as well as adult fetishization of young girls, on its platform”.
On November 26, 2019, the National Centre on Sexual Exploitation published a report of a 13-year-old girl who was abused on Instagram. The predator tricked the girl into sending explicit images to him, which he later used to blackmail and traffick her.
She found the courage to reach out for help and only then did the abuse end.
In response to the increase in cases of children and teenagers being targeted by online predators, Instagram added some safety features to its platform. This includes improved reporting systems and allowing users to turn off DMs from strangers.
Six Ways Instagram Is Trying to Protect Teenagers From Predators
In March 2021, Instagram announced the addition of a new suite of features to protect teens on the platform from potential predators.
Let's look at the features, how they work, and what Instagram hopes the feature will help achieve below...
1. Restricting Conversations Between Teens and Adults They Don’t Follow
Instagram has added a new feature that makes it impossible for adults to send DMs to people under the age of 18 who are not their followers. Adults trying to DM a teen that isn’t following them will be prompted with a message that reads: “You can't message this account unless they follow you”.
This feature uses Instagram’s age-predicting AI and the age users provide when signing up to determine which accounts it should apply the restrictions to.
The goal of this feature, Instagram claims, is to protect teens from “unwanted contact from adults”.
2. Prompting Teens to Be More Cautious About DMs With Adults
Another step Instagram is taking to protect teens on its platform is the introduction of safety notices.
Instagram will prompt teens with safety notices when an adult who has been exhibiting “potentially suspicious behavior” sends them a DM.
An example of suspicious behavior is when an adult is sending an unusually large amount of friend and message requests to teenagers. When this behavior is detected, the tool alerts recipients in their DMs.
The prompt will also tell the recipient that they shouldn’t feel pressured to respond to annoying or uncomfortable messages, while also giving the teen options to either end the conversation, block, report, or restrict the adult.
Instagram believes this feature will guide teens in conversations with adults they’re connected to on the platform.
According to Instagram, users in some countries will start seeing these prompts from March 2021. The feature will be rolled out worldwide in the weeks thereafter.
3. Hiding Teens' Accounts From the Suggested Users List of Some Adults
Another way Instagram is trying to protect its younger users is by making it difficult for adults who have been exhibiting suspicious behavior to interact with teens on the platform.
One of the ways Instagram is looking to do this is by hiding teens' accounts from the Suggested Users lists of adults identified as potential predators.
Preventing adults who are exhibiting suspicious behaviors from finding teen content in the Reels or Explore tab and automatically hiding their comments on public posts by teens are some other ways Instagram is looking to use to increase the safety of its platform for teens.
4. Encouraging Teens to Make Their Account Private
Instagram is also encouraging new users below 18 to opt for the private account option so that they can have better control of their accounts. With private accounts, teens can control who can see and interact with their content.
When a user under 18 signs up on the platform, Instagram prompts the user to choose between a public or private account. Should the teen opt for the public account when signing up, Instagram sends a follow-up notification highlighting the benefits of a private account.
The goal of this feature is to encourage teens to opt for private profiles to protect themselves from predators.
5. Improving Age Prediction With its AI
Because of the restrictions on accounts of younger users, teenagers on Instagram are tempted to lie about their date of birth. Instagram wants to stop that from happening with its age-prediction AI and machine learning technology.
Instagram revealed that it is developing a new AI and machine learning technology that helps it understand its users' real age. Instagram hopes to use the technology to keep the platform safer for younger users by automatically applying age-appropriate features, like those explained above to teens’ accounts.
6. A New Guide for Parents
Instagram also published a new parent's guide with information on the latest safety tools and privacy settings on the platform. Also included in the guide are tips and tools to help parents have conversations with their teens about their online presence.
Because Instagram works with “local safety experts” to develop each version, local versions of the guide are currently only available in few countries, namely: Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore, and the US.
An earlier version of the parents guide to Instagram was published in 2018 for parents in the UK, France, Germany, and Spain.
Is Instagram Safe for Your Teen?
The rollout of these new safety features signals that Instagram is taking the safety of its teen users more seriously. Restricting interactions between adults with suspicious behaviors and teens will improve the safety of the app for its younger users.
That said, as a parent, you can complement Instagram’s effort to keep your teen safe on its platform by speaking to your child honestly about online safety.
A collaborative effort between you and Instagram will ensure that your child enjoys the benefit of the platform free from interactions with predators.