Photo: bloomberg
Instagram is tightening content restrictions for users under 18, blocking posts deemed inappropriate for a PG-13 rating, Bloomberg reports.
The platform, owned by Meta Platforms Inc., will use artificial intelligence to assess whether content meets these standards.
Under the new settings, automatically applied to teen accounts, posts containing profanity, risky stunts, or marijuana-related imagery will be hidden. Instagram already restricts teens from seeing graphic or sexually explicit posts.
“We decided to align our policies more closely with an independent standard familiar to parents… we’ll do everything possible to make such cases as rare as possible,” the company said in its blog.
Teen accounts will be automatically placed under these restrictions and cannot change them without parental approval. Instagram will also add a “Limited Content” option for parents who believe PG-13 standards are not strict enough.
Teens will no longer be able to follow accounts that “regularly share age-inappropriate content,” including accounts linking to OnlyFans or openly sharing 18+ content. Those already following such accounts will no longer see or interact with their content.
Instagram teen accounts were introduced last fall with stricter settings for users under 18. Meta uses AI to detect when teens may misreport their age and earlier this year blocked live streaming for users under 16.
