Users under the age of 18 will automatically receive 'teen accounts,' which will restrict who can contact them and view their posts. In addition, the platform will provide parents with tools to monitor their child's online activity and interactions.

Instagram will make teenagers' accounts private by default as part of an initiative to create a safer environment for young users. Starting Tuesday, new users under the age of 18 who register in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia will automatically receive "teen accounts" with restricted features and increased parental supervision.

Over the next 60 days, existing Instagram users under 18 in these countries will also be transitioned to teen accounts. Naomi Gleit, the head of product at Instagram’s parent company Meta, explained that the changes are aimed at addressing three key concerns from parents: teens encountering unwanted content, being contacted by undesirable individuals, and spending too much time on the app.

Teen accounts will have several protective features. In addition to being set to private by default, these accounts will only allow messages from people the teen follows or is already connected to. The platform will also reduce exposure to "sensitive content," including violence and posts promoting cosmetic procedures.

To manage screen time, Instagram will send notifications to teen account holders if they are active for more than 60 minutes. Additionally, a "sleep mode" will automatically mute notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., with auto-replies informing contacts to reach out during the daytime.

Parents will have access to a range of settings that allow them to monitor their children's interactions on Instagram. Through the family center, parents can view who is messaging their teen and access information about their teen’s recent online activity, such as who their teen follows, who follows them, and who they have messaged in the past seven days. This transparency is designed to help parents have important conversations with their children and provide support if issues like bullying or harassment arise.

All users under 18 will be placed on teen accounts automatically. While teens aged 16 and 17 can disable some of the restrictions in the settings, those aged 15 and under will need parental permission to do so.