One of the recent Instagram updates that happened in October was about keeping teens safe. In this update there have been many limits to what teens can and can’t do and see on the app. Instagram will use AI to identify your age by seeing what you post, search, and people you follow. You can upload a photo of your ID, take a video selfie, or have mutual friends verify your age. With this new update, teens can’t follow or interact with accounts that post age-inappropriate content. This update applies to both new and existing accounts.
Instagram made this update to make sure teens on Instagram were safe and protected from what they may see on the app, such as risky content, strong language, etc. These updates are similar to a PG-13 movie rating. Parents are able to choose stricter “limited content” settings for teens, which restrict more comments and material. Teens are not allowed to change these settings without permission from their parents. These restrictions will apply to their account until they are 18 years old.
The Hitching Post interviewed Chloe Hills, and we asked her what she thought about the update, and she said, “I think that the update is good. It will help keep teens safe online, but I do think parents should be the ones in charge of what they can and can’t see instead of Instagram.”
This could be a very impactful update for Instagram but It also raises concern about privacy and accuracy. Will AI be able to successfully verify ages?
https://time.com/7325548/instagram-teen-account-restrictions-changes-blocked
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/instagram-says-making-app-pg-13-teens-rcna237350
