Meta’s Naomi Gleit on Instagram Teen Accounts: What Parents Need to Know About Teen Safety and Parental Controls (EXCLUSIVE)

On September 17, Meta unveiled Instagram Teen Accounts, a new version of the popular social media platform designed to improve teen safety and ease parental concerns. With stricter privacy settings and parental controls, Instagram Teen aims to protect users aged 13 to 17.

Directly after the announcement, First for Women got the chance to attend the official launch party of Instagram Teen Accounts and speak exclusively with Meta’s head of product, Naomi Gleit. Keep scrolling to learn more about what she had to say.

Naomi Gleit shares Instagram Teen Accounts features: What parents need to know about safety and content control

“I want people to know that we’re really listening to parents, and parents tell us that they’re concerned about content, contact and time spent,” says Gleit. “And so teen accounts are really designed to give teens the same Instagram they know and love, but with more of what they want and less of what they don’t.”

“It is really focused on making sure teens see appropriate content. They’re going to be put in the most strict version of what we call the sensitive content control, so they really only see age-appropriate content, especially in recommendations.”

These new Instagram Teen Accounts are expected to go into effect immediately. Naomi Gleit assures that “parents don’t need to do anything,” as the accounts will automatically adjust for users aged 13 to 17, adding enhanced privacy settings and parental supervision features.

“We know that parents are very busy. We don’t want this to be another burden. That’s why teens are automatically put into teen accounts.”

She warns, though, that if someone using Instagram is “under 16 and wants to change any of their settings, they will need to get their parents’ permission.”

Instagram Teen Accounts introduces new parental control features, allowing parents to monitor who their teens are messaging, set time limits for app usage, and block access during specific hours. These tools provide peace of mind for parents concerned about their child’s online activity.

“[Parents will] be able to block access to the app for their teen,” Gleit shares. “They’ll be able to choose specific times of day they don’t want their teen on Instagram, for example, at night.”

Instagram is only available for people 13 and older, and with this new version, everyone from the ages of 13 to 17 will be automatically enrolled. To ensure no underage users are accessing Instagram Teen Accounts, Meta will implement ID verification for teens. However, details on how teens without an ID or those with fake IDs will be handled are still forthcoming.

Naomi Gleit shares how long Meta has been working on Instagram Teen Accounts

“We’ve been working on teen accounts for several months,” shares Gleit. “Obviously, we’ve been working on features and tools to help protect teens for a very long time. What drove us was really listening to parents and understanding their biggest concerns. We know that this may mean teens use Instagram less or differently in the short term, but we’re focused on giving parents peace of mind.”

She also assured First for Women, “It’s going to start today [September 17]. It is going to be rolling out in several markets, including the U.S., and we hope to have transitioned all of these teens in these markets within two months. But bear with us because it’s a really big team working to make sure we get it right.”

“I think we’re really excited. These are really big changes. Tens of millions of teens will be moved from public accounts to private accounts.”

Instagram Teen Accounts marks a significant change for teens, with Meta’s safety measures offering increased protection through privacy settings, age verification, and parental supervision features. With these updates, Meta aims to foster a safer social media experience for young users.