Social media may be a thorny topic between parents and kids who communicate with their peers via the latest social apps. Getting kids off these said apps isn’t easy, not to mention mental health and cyberbullying concerns.
To mitigate these issues, recently Instagram introduced new features and parental controls that focus on teenagers and their safety as Instagram users.
“It’s not only important to me that people feel safe on our platform – [but] that they feel good about the time they spend on Instagram,” Adam Mosseri, a New York-based father of three boys and head of Instagram, shared on Twitter.
Here are some critical takeaways about these new features, including the new Parental Controls coming in March that will be part of the social app soon.
TAKE A BREAK
The Instagram version of a time-out? Kinda. While this is not limited to teens, it is a feature perfect for them. The “Take a Break” encourages users to pull back or, as the kids say, “chill.” It will be built into Instagram’s already existing Daily Limit. By selecting Take a Break, users will be reminded that they have reached the time they set for the day. They can also mute notifications to not be bothered for the day and set notifications with time limits. This is great for teens, for as much as they complain about what they cannot do, structure and rules are built into kids’ lives at home and school, right? So why shouldn’t it be part of their daily social media usage?
NO MORE TAGGING
Instagram will not be allowing tags on teens if that person is not following them. So this helps teens in multiple ways. It gives them control over who shares on their social imprint. No more embarrassing pics that great Aunt Mary took of them mid-bite at the holiday table; yup, many kids don’t always follow back all family members, but that is another post for another time.
YOUR ACTIVITY
Much like a digital dashboard on a blog, Instagram will move likes, comments, photos, and videos into one spot so you, the user, can be in control of your digital footprint.
PARENTAL CONTROLS
Instagram is working with the first version of parental controls with a goal of March 2022 in mind. These parental controls will allow parents to see how much time their child is spending on Instagram and set time limits. It will also allow teens to share any handles they report on Instagram with their parents.
EDUCATION HUB FOR PARENTS
To help parents, caregivers, and guardians navigate their kids’ usage in this social media world, Instagram will be sharing educational resources, expert tips, and tutorials on kids and their social media experience in what they’re calling their Education Hub.
This article first appeared on NewYorkFamily.com.
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