Teenagers using Instagram will now only see content that abides by a PG-13 cinema rating, according to Meta.
PG-13 films, similar to the UK’s 12A, are generally allowed to have some swear words, mild violence and partial nudity – although Meta said it would attempt to hide suggestive content and strong language “as much as possible”.
Earlier this year, new UK online safety rules were introduced that make it a legal requirement to age-restrict adult content online, but Meta says these age ratings go further.
Notices showing restricted content will appear in messages too. Pic: Meta
“In addition to our longstanding policies – which already hide or prohibit the recommendation of sexually suggestive content, graphic or disturbing images, and adult content like tobacco or alcohol sales from teens, our updated policies will now go even further,” said the company in its announcement.
“This includes hiding or not recommending posts with strong language, certain risky stunts, and additional content that could encourage potentially harmful behaviors, such as posts showing marijuana paraphernalia.”
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Chats between teenagers and Meta AI will also be restricted to a PG-13 rating.
In August, Reuters reported that an internal Meta document permitted children to engage in “romantic or sensual” AI chats, including on an Instagram chatbot.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the company was in the process of revising the document and that such conversations with children never should have been allowed.
Although teen accounts require a user to be honest about their date of birth, Meta says it uses “age-prediction” technology to spot when a user is lying about their age and restrict their content appropriately.
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Last year, research by Ofcom showed that 22% of 17-year-olds said they lied on social media about being 18 or older.
From next year, parents will also be given the option to restrict their teenager’s account even further, with a “limited content” setting.
That will filter even more content and remove the teenager’s ability to see, leave or receive comments under posts, as well as restrict the conversations teenagers can have with Meta’s AI.
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The changes will start rolling out to Teen Accounts in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada today and will be fully rolled out by the end of the year, according to Meta, after which they’ll be rolled out globally.
The updated content restrictions for young Instagram users come after calls from parents who want to better understand what their kids are seeing online.
Some 90% of parents of teens in the US said the PG-13 rating will make it easier to understand the kind of content their teen is likely to see on Instagram, according to research commissioned by Meta.
The company said it will run regular Instagram surveys, inviting parents to review content and see if they think it is appropriate for teenagers.
“These surveys will help us understand if parents still agree with where we’ve drawn the line, and if we need to further adjust our guidelines,” said Meta.
