Instagram will introduce its first parental controls system in March, at a time when it is facing pressure to do more to protect its young users from harmful content, and to prevent them from overusing the company’s product.
Adam Mosseri, who runs the Instagram app within the Meta group, which controls Instagram and Facebook, announced in a blog post that parents could see how much time their teenagers spend using Instagram, and limit that time if they so choose . Teenagers will also be able to inform their parents if they have reported someone for violating Instagram usage rules.
“This is the initial release of these tools; we will continue to add more options over time,” he said in the message.
Mosseri will testify before a US Senate committee on Wednesday (8) and is expected to answer questions about whether social media is harmful to children and teenagers.
The app has come under renewed pressure since Frances Haugen, a former product manager at Facebook, leaked documents that demonstrate the company was aware that Instagram makes teenage girls feel worse about themselves.
Mosseri said in the message that Instagram was developing several other measures to increase children’s safety. App users will no longer be able to mention or “tag” teenagers who don’t follow them. The app will also launch in January a feature for all users to use that will allow them to delete messages, comments, and “likes” in a block.
It was unclear whether Mosseri’s announcement would be enough to appease lawmakers. “Meta is trying to divert attention from its mistakes by releasing parenting guides, time-of-use controls and content control features that consumers should have had at hand forever,” said Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee. “But my colleagues and I know exactly what they are trying to do.”
Instagram is among several big tech platforms that have explored changes in the way children can use their products, in part because of new child safety rules adopted in the UK. The app said it was considering adopting a more stringent age-proofing process for some young users, but has not yet adopted that feature.
Translation by Paulo Migliacci
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