Instagram just did something it hasn't done in a decade to protect kids

Teenage users will face many limitations in accessing content on the Instagram application - Photo: WASHINGTON POST

According to AFP news agency, on September 18, Meta Technology Group, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, officially launched the "Teen Account" feature on the Instagram application to strengthen protection measures for underage users.

Previously, many experts and authorities have accused this famous photo-sharing application of negatively affecting the mental health of young people in many forms: addiction, bullying, body photography as well as self-confidence issues.

“This feature is an important update, designed to help parents feel secure when letting their children use Instagram,” Antigone Davis, vice president of safety at Meta, told AFP.

Under the new policy, accounts for users between the ages of 13 and 17 will be set to private by default. Meta will also implement stricter protections regarding who is allowed to contact this group, as well as intervene in the content that appears on the platform.

Users under 15 years of age who wish to make their account public and lift restrictions will need parental permission.

Additionally, Meta also announced a “Sleep Mode” feature, which is set to stop sending notifications from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for teen accounts.

The platform will also start prompting teen users to leave the app after using it for an hour a day. Parents will have the ability to block their kids from using Instagram after a certain amount of time, or during specific time frames.

These rules will apply to both existing Instagram users and new users.

“This is a big change. That means we have to make sure we do it well,” said Mr. Davis.

Meta refuses to check users' real ages

Previously, in October 2023, about 40 US states filed a lawsuit against Meta's platforms, alleging that these applications "harm the mental and physical health of young people", due to risks related to bullying, eating disorders and addictive applications.

Currently, Meta Corporation refuses to check the age of all users on its platforms for security reasons.

“Only if there are specific signs that someone is falsifying their age will we ask them to verify. But we don’t want to ask 3 billion people to provide identification,” Mr. Davis said.

It is unclear whether the new protections will be enough to reassure the government and online safety advocates, AFP reported.

The measures reflect growing concerns among parents and political leaders that social media sites are contributing to a mental health crisis among young people, and that tech companies are prioritizing retaining young users over ensuring their safety and well-being.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/instagram-vua-lam-dieu-chua-tung-co-trong-suot-mot-thap-ky-de-bao-ve-tre-em-20240918130822718.htm