- Instagram enables Teen Accounts with default privacy, message limits, and time controls.
- The company is introducing AI to detect minors who misrepresent their age and automatically apply protections.
- Internal surveys point to insufficient parental support, while an independent report questions the effectiveness of 47 functions.
- Meta expands its measures to Facebook and Messenger in Spain and launches the #SOSAdolescentech campaign.
For many families, the telephone is the new battlefield, and within it, social media. In this context, Instagram launches Teen Accounts in Spain, a mode of use with more controls and barriers designed for minors which seeks to reduce risks without cutting off contact with friends or everyday interests.
Meta presents these measures on Instagram and extends them to the company's ecosystem, with a clear promise: limit who young people talk to, what content they see, and how much time they spend onlineThe initiative comes amid growing public scrutiny and new regulatory demands in the European Union.
What changes with Teen Accounts
When a person under 16 opens or uses Instagram under this scheme, their profile adopts age-appropriate settings: the account is private by default, recommendations from strangers are reduced and direct contact with strangers is restricted.
In addition, the platform adds additional restrictions on features prone to abuse or exposure, such as live broadcasts or messages. According to the company, The idea is for young people to continue sharing and exploring, but within a safer environment and with fewer harmful stimuli.
- Privacy enabled by default: closed profiles and less visibility for accounts you don't know.
- Limited direct messages: only from people you have followed or previously approved.
- Less sensitive content: Additional filters for sensitive or potentially harmful topics.
- Time management: Reminders after extended periods of sleep and rest modes at night.
- Parental controls: : possibility of requiring adult authorization to change key settings.
The company insists that these changes are intended to make unwanted contact more difficult and reduce the intensity of consumption, especially at night, when most impulsive activity occurs.
AI detection and age verification
Instagram tests an artificial intelligence-based system capable of identify teenage users even if they have declared an incorrect ageIf the model detects signs consistent with a minor, it automatically applies the Teen Account profile.
According to data shared by Meta, more than 54 million young people already use this type of account and, among those between 13 and 15 years old, a large majority keeps the recommended protections activated. The objective is reduce classification errors without invading privacy.
In parallel, when a minor under 16 years of age creates a new account, The system activates the package of restrictions and wellness tools by default. With this, The company tries to prevent teenagers from accessing dynamics designed for adults. and which is then difficult to reverse.
What families and the company say
Meta says families value these features: in an internal survey cited by the company, 94% of parents find Teen Accounts useful and 85% believe that they make it easier to guide healthy use of networks.
Instagram's CEO has argued that the protection package reduces age-inappropriate exposure, adds restrictions on live streams and messages, and reduces nighttime activity. In Spain, the company also launches the #SOSAdolescentech campaign with creators and experts like Laura Cuesta to disseminate these controls among parents.
Third-party evidence and indications
Child safety organizations, with peer review from Northeastern University, have published a critical analysis: Of 47 functions examined, only 8 would have been fully effective.While Others would be easy to circumvent, would be poorly implemented or would have disappeared..
In independent tests, deficiencies were detected in search filters (for example, minimal variations of prohibited terms which continued to display harmful content), and language biases were described: What worked halfway in English, failed more in Spanish.
They were also documented Labels and recommendations that could lead to sexualized material of minors, as well as the amplification of videos with that load.
Meta rejects these conclusionsCompany spokespeople maintain that The report “misinterprets” how the tools operate and what internal data shows Less sensitive content, less unwanted contact, and less nighttime use among teenagers with active protections. They also claim that term blockers have been strengthened by combining automation and human review.
Spain and the EU: context and campaigns
The expansion of Teenager Accounts reaches in parallel to Facebook and Messenger in Spain and the rest of the EU, at a time when EU authorities are assessing the impact of social media on minors under the Digital Services Act.
Along with technical changes, Meta promotes local outreach actions such as #SOSAdolescentech, which promote family conversations about screen time, contacts, and sensitive content. The goal is not only to have controls, but also to use consistently at home.
Practical keys for families
Beyond ads, it's a good idea to activate and periodically review the settings. In practice, a correct and stable configuration makes a difference in everyday life.
- Block messages from strangers and check who your child can write to.
- Activate rest reminders and night mode to reduce stimuli at night.
- Limit profile visibility and disable recommendations to accounts you don't follow.
- Talk at home about reporting and blocking: Reporting is part of security.
If the minor tries to change sensitive settings, consider requiring parental approval; this prevents you from disabling key protections on impulse or due to peer pressure.
The deployment of Teen Accounts and AI detection point to significant progress, but the real effectiveness is played out on two fronts: that the tools work well in all languages and contextsand that families and schools actively adopt themBetween the European regulatory push, independent criticism, and the technical improvements promised by Meta, Instagram use among teenagers is entering a decisive phase.
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