Instagram restricts teenagers to ‘PG-13 content’ by default

Teenagers on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and will not be able to change their settings without a parent’s permission, Meta has announced.

This means children using teenager-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie – broadly equivalent to a 12A rating in the UK – with no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts, among other content.

“This includes hiding or not recommending posts with strong language, certain risky stunts, and additional content that could encourage potentially harmful behaviours, such as posts showing marijuana paraphernalia,” parent company Meta said in a blog post, calling the update the most significant since it introduced teenage accounts last year.

Anyone under 18 who signs up for Instagram is automatically placed into restrictive teenage accounts unless a parent or guardian gives them permission to opt out.

The teenage accounts are private by default, have usage restrictions on them and already filter out more “sensitive” content – such as those promoting cosmetic procedures.

But youngsters often lie about their ages when they sign up for social media, and while Meta has began using artificial intelligence to find such accounts, the company declined to say how many adult accounts it has determined to be minors since rolling out the feature earlier this year.

The company is also adding an even stricter setting that parents can set up for their children.

The changes come as the social media giant faces relentless criticism over harms to children. As it seeks to add safeguards for younger users, Meta has already promised it would not show inappropriate content to teenagers, such as posts about self-harm, eating disorders or suicide.

But this does not always work. A recent report, for instance, found that teen accounts researchers created were recommended age-inappropriate sexual content, including “graphic sexual descriptions, the use of cartoons to describe demeaning sexual acts, and brief displays of nudity”.

In addition, Instagram also recommended a “range of self-harm, self-injury, and body image content” on teenage accounts that the report says “would be reasonably likely to result in adverse impacts for young people, including teenagers experiencing poor mental health, or self-harm and suicidal ideation and behaviours”.

Meta called the report “misleading, dangerously speculative” and that it misrepresents its efforts on teenage safety.

Josh Golin, the executive director of the Fairplay organisation, which seeks to safeguard children’s experience of a commercialised media, said he is “very sceptical about how this will be implemented”.

He said: “From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They’re about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn’t want to see, and they’re about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what’s happening on Instagram.

“Splashy press releases won’t keep kids safe, but real accountability and transparency will.”

Meta said it already blocks certain search terms related to sensitive topics such as suicide and eating disorders, but the latest update will expand this to a broader range of terms, such as “alcohol” or “gore” – even if they are misspelled.

The PG-13 update will also apply artificial intelligence chats and experiences targeted to teenagers, Meta said, “meaning AIs should not give age-inappropriate responses that would feel out of place in a PG-13 movie”.

For parents who want an even stricter setting for their kids, Meta is also launching a “limited content” restriction that will block more content and remove teens’ ability to see, leave, or receive comments under posts.