Instagram Parental Controls Features are Coming Soon: What Parents Need to Know

Instagram Parental Controls Features are Coming Soon: what parents need to know

Social media might be a thorny topic in your household. This may be because many of our kids communicate with their peers via the latest social apps- and getting kids off these said apps isn’t always easy as well as a handful of other significant concerns like mental health and cyberbullying. 

Recently Instagram introduced new features and parental controls that focus on teenagers and their safety as Instagram users. As Adam Mosseri, father of 3 boys, New Yorker, and Head of Instagram, shared on Twitter, “it’s not only important to me that people feel safe on our platform – that they feel good about the time they spend on Instagram.” This is what parents like to hear, especially from someone who makes the big decisions. And we hope more safety changes such as these are not only made in the near future but become part of the norm for the social safety of our kids. 

Here are  some critical takeaways about these new features including the new Parental Controls coming in March that will be part of the social app soon:

 Take a Break

The Instagram version of a time-out? Kinda. While this is not limited to teens, it is a feature perfect for them. The “Take a Break” encourages users to pull back or, as the kids say, “chill.” It will be built into Instagram’s already existing Daily Limit. By selecting Take a Break, the user will be reminded that they have reached the time they set for the day. They can also mute notifications to not be bothered for the day and set notifications with time limits. This is great for teens, for as much as they complain about what they cannot do, structure and rules are built into kids’ lives at home and school, right? So why shouldn’t it be part of their daily social media usage?

No More Tagging 

Instagram will not be allowing tags on teens if that person is not following them. So this helps teens in multiple ways. It gives them control over who shares on their social imprint. No more embarrassing pics that great Aunt Mary took of them mid-bite at the holiday table; yup, many kids don’t always follow back all family members, but that is another post for another time. 

Your Activity 

Much like a digital dashboard on a blog- Instagram will move likes, comments, photos, and videos into one spot so you, the user, can be in control of your digital footprint.

The Big One: Parental Controls 

Instagram is working with the first version of parental controls with a goal of March 2022 in mind. These parental controls will allow parents to see how much time their child is spending on Instagram and set time limits. It will also allow teens to share any handles they report on Instagram with their parents. 

Education Hub for Parents

To help parents, caregivers, and guardians navigate their kid’s usage in this social media world- Instagram will be sharing educational resources, expert tips, and tutorials on kids and their social media experience in what they’re calling their Education Hub.  

As a parent who has yet to allow access to their oldest child on Instagram, I will be keeping a close eye on the new tools being implemented by this top social media app (#5 in the world)- which will help me make my decision when the time comes. For more on Instagram’s Raising the Standard for Protecting Teens and Supporting Parents Online, check it out here. 

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