Instagram, which is frequently accused of having negative effects on its youngest users has announced Tuesday that it will be adding new features to its parental control tool. These new features will enable parents and legal representatives to monitor the activities of their minor children more closely.
Meta, a subsidiary that also owns Facebook, WhatsApp, and WhatsApp, had so far deployed parental controls in the United States only. It could not be activated by children. Instagram provides a “guide to parents” in France.
Parents and guardians will have the option to invite young teens to their accounts by June 31st. To activate the tool, they will have to agree to the request. This novelty will be made available not only in the United States but also in France and Germany. It will then roll out worldwide by the end the month. ‘year.
What does parental control do? To limit screen time for children and teens by setting daily limits on the app’s use (from 15 minutes up to 2 hours) or programming breaks. If they find content that is not in line with Instagram’s guidelines (incitement to hate or violence, nudity etc.), young people can report it to their parents and legal representatives. ).
Parents will be able to access their children’s Instagram contacts, including their subscribers and their followers. Instagram will allow you to access a family information center that offers expert advice and supervision tools.
For several months, the social network has come under fire from American elected officials as well as child protection organizations for its harmful impact on young people. Frances Haugen (a former Facebook employee) leaked internal documents that showed that Facebook’s leaders were well aware of potential dangers for minors. This included the mental health of young girls who were confronted by the myth. The ideal female body.
Instagram, like other popular platforms with young users, has made pledges regarding the protection of teens. TikTok introduced new features last week that aim to limit the screen time of its minor users. Meta will provide parental control tools for Oculus Quest virtual-reality headsets.
