Instagram will roll out its first parental controls in March, as the company is under increasing pressure to do more to protect its young users from hazardous material and prevent them from becoming too reliant on the service.
The head of the app at Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, stated in a blog post that parents would be able to see how much time their teenage children have spent on Instagram and that they will be able to restrict how much time they spend on the app. A new feature allows teenagers to inform their parents if they have reported someone for violating Instagram’s terms of service policy.
During his appearance before a Senate committee on Wednesday, Mr. Mosseri is expected to answer concerns about whether social media is harmful to children and teens. Instagram has been under increased scrutiny when Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, disclosed papers that revealed the firm was aware that the app was causing some adolescent females to feel less confident about their appearance.
Mr. Mosseri said in a blog post that Instagram was working on further kid safety features. Those using the service will no longer be able to tag or mention youngsters who do not subscribe to their services. A tool that will enable users to remove their posts, comments, and likes in bulk will be made available to them in January by the app for all of its users as well.
It was unclear if Mr. Mosseri’s statement would be received positively by legislators. According to Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, “Meta is seeking to divert attention away from its blunders by putting out parental advisories, usage timers, and content restriction measures that customers should have had all along.” “However, my colleagues and I are completely oblivious to what they are doing.”
A number of big technology platforms, including Instagram, have looked at ways to modify how children may use their products, in part as a result of new child safety regulations in the United Kingdom. However, the app has said that it is contemplating requiring some of its younger users to go through a more rigorous verification procedure to confirm their age, but has not yet implemented these features.
