Instagram expands teen accounts to HK, TW and APAC

Meta is launching its “teen accounts” for Instagram users aged under 16 in Hong Kong and the broader Asia-Pacific region this week, limiting who can contact teens and the content they see. Meanwhile, the new initiative is also effective in Taiwan today.

This comes following Meta's introduction of restrictions on Instagram features for Singaporean users under the age of 18, after the Singapore government's reported consideration to implement a legislation which limits the use of social media to protect young users.

Don't miss: Instagram introduces teen accounts in SG, restricts features for underage users

According to a statement seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Meta said that the expansion of this new experience is designed to better address parents’ biggest concerns, including who their teens are talking to online, the content they’re seeing and whether their time is being well spent. The built-in protections aim to support parents and give them peace of mind, ensuring that their teens are safe with the right protections in place. 

Starting this week, Meta will automatically place teens into teen accounts and notify those already using Instagram about these changes. Additionally, teens will need a parent’s permission to change any of these settings to be less strict.

Teens will have default private accounts, requiring them to accept new followers, while people who don’t follow them will be unable to see their content or interact with them. This applies to all users under 16, including those already on Instagram and those who are signing up, as well as to teens under 18 when they sign up for the app. Teens will also be placed in the strictest messaging settings, allowing them to receive messages only from people they follow or are already connected with.

In terms of sensitive content restriction, teens will automatically be placed into the most restrictive setting of Meta’s sensitive content control. This will limit the type of sensitive content they can view, such as content showing people fighting or promoting cosmetic procedures, in places such as Explore and Reels.

Teens will also have limited interactions, allowing them to be tagged or mentioned only by people they follow. Meta will also automatically turn on the most restrictive version of its anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, to filter out offensive words and phrases from teens’ comments and direct message (DM) requests.

On the other hand, parents will have access to a “supervision feature” that allows them to view who their teen has messaged in the past seven days. They can also set total daily time limits for their teens’ Instagram usage. Once a teen hits that limit, they’ll no longer be able to access the app. Parents can also choose to block their teens from using Instagram at night, or specific periods.

Teens under 16 will need their parent’s permission to use less protective settings. To get permission, they will need to set up parental supervision on Instagram. If parents want more oversight over their older teen’s experiences, they can turn on parental supervision, allowing them to approve any changes to these settings, regardless of their teen's age.

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