Instagram

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a popular, free social media app that lets users post photos and videos, follow popular accounts and friends, and send messages. It's owned by Meta, the company that also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, but it has a visual format that's more appealing to teens.

How does Instagram work?

Once you create an account, you get your feed going by following friends and celebrities. Depending on the type of media you're sharing, you can choose from all sorts of filters and tools to make your post look cool. Then you can add a caption or a hashtag. You have the option of adding a location to your post, but it's not recommended that kids and teens use this function. Instagram offers a lot more features, too, including:

• Direct messages (DMs). You can send direct messages to one or more people - including people you don't follow and who don't follow you.

• Disappearing messages. This is a Snapchat-like feature that lets you send timed photo or video messages that recipients can only view once before they disappear.

• Stories. These are short videos or slideshows that are separate from other posts.

• Reels. You can record, edit, and post short videos, like with TikTok.

How old should kids be to use Instagram?

According to the terms of service, you have to be 13, but there's no age-verification process, so it's very easy for kids under 13 to sign up. Because of mature content, access to strangers, marketing ploys, and data collection, it is often recommended for teens 15 and older.

What kinds of content will my kid see on Instagram?

The kinds of content that kids will see mostly depends on whom they follow: posts by friends, influencers, meme accounts, and so forth. They will also see targeted ads and posts based on the accounts they follow. It's likely they'll see mature content, mean or sexual comments, and hashtags about suicide, anorexia, and other concerning topics.

Sensitive Content Control lets users choose how much potentially upsetting or offensive content - such as material containing violence or individuals in see-through clothing - you'll see from accounts you don't follow. This setting affects content seen in your feed, as well as the Explore, Search, and Reels areas of the app. According to the app, some of this material will be automatically filtered out if you're under 18. In January 2024, Meta announced that they will restrict harmful content for users under 18. This includes posts related to suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders.

How can I monitor my kid's activity on Instagram?

Currently, if both parties opt in to the Family Center feature, adults can get updates about who their 13- to 17-year-old kids follow and are followed by, receive notifications if their child reports other users, and set usage limits by day or for specific times of day. They can also view their child's privacy, messaging, and sensitive content settings and get an update if their child changes any of them. You can also ask your kid to give you a tour of their Instagram account. Ask them to walk you through their account, explain memes and comments, discuss friends, and share whatever comes up. Or try one of these ideas:

• Create your own Instagram account and follow your kid. You'll see what they post (unless they block you), but you won't see their DMs (direct messages).

• Follow their friends. It's not unusual for parents and caregivers to be friends with their kids' friends online (but you should hold back on comments). If you're close with your kids' friends, you can follow each other and keep tabs on your kid's doings.

• Do spot checks. Either random or scheduled, these check-ins give you time to sit down together and go through your kid's feed.

• Install a third-party monitoring app. Parental controls such as Bark give you a lot of visibility into what kids are doing online.

Is there any way to limit or restrict my kid's activity on Instagram, including connecting with strangers?

Instagram accounts are public by default, so the first thing to do is make your kid's account private. To do this, go to Settings from the profile page. Select Privacy and toggle on Private Account. With a private account, only people you approve can see what you post. You get a lot of options in the Privacy section - and you should spend some time here if you're helping your kid set up their first account. You can't lock Privacy settings, though, so be aware that kids can change them back. A few more key Instagram privacy settings:

• Comment controls. You can limit comments to follo wers, block comments from specific people, hide "offensive" comments, and create specific filters for words and phrases.

• Resharing to stories. You can control whether other people can reshare your posts.

• Photos and videos. You can prevent people from automatically adding pictures of you to your profile without your approval and hide photos and videos so they don't display in your feed.