Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has announced new privacy settings aimed at protecting teenage users in a major update. This move is part of Meta’s broader efforts to limit exposure to harmful content for young people on its platforms, including WhatsApp and Facebook.

Under the new changes, Instagram accounts for users aged 13 and above will automatically switch to private by default. These accounts will only be accessible for messaging or tagging by people the user follows, and sensitive content settings will be set to the most restrictive option. Additional features include filtering out offensive language from comments and messages, sending notifications to teens to limit their daily usage to 60 minutes, and activating sleep mode from 10 pm to 7 am, muting notifications.

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Users under 16 will require parental permission to alter these default settings, while 16 and 17-year-olds can disable them independently. Parents will also receive tools to monitor who their children interact with and limit app usage. Meta plans to roll out these changes within 60 days in several countries, with global implementation starting next year.

Critics, including Ian Russell, father of a teenager who tragically died after exposure to harmful content, questioned why these steps weren’t taken sooner, highlighting that earlier actions could have saved young lives. The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, welcomed the changes but emphasized that platforms must do more to protect young users, especially with the upcoming Online Safety Act. Meta acknowledged that some teens might attempt to bypass age restrictions and is working on technology to detect such cases.