Instagram is rolling out one of its most significant updates related to teenager safety on the platform, after releasing the specialised teen accounts feature. The Meta-owned social media platform announced that it will automatically restrict all teenage users to content similar to a PG-13 movie rating. This change, which is enabled by default, will affect how teens will now have substantially limited exposure to sensitive or age-inappropriate material across the platform.
Under the new PG-13 restriction, teens on Instagram will be protected from seeing photos and videos containing strong language, certain risky stunts, and posts that could encourage harmful behaviour, such as images showing marijuana paraphernalia.
Meta is positioning this as a necessary safeguard on Instagram, stating that previous commitments to hide highly inappropriate content were not always effective. Reports had previously indicated that teen accounts could still recommend age-inappropriate sexual content and material promoting self-harm.
Instagram goes PG-13: What it means for teens
Restricted interaction: Teens will be prevented from following accounts that regularly share age-inappropriate content. If a teen already follows such accounts, including those with bios linking to content like OnlyFans, they will no longer be able to see or interact with that content, send messages, or see their comments on other posts.
Account protection: The restricted accounts will also be prevented from following teens, sending them private messages, or commenting on their posts, creating a significant barrier against unwanted contact.
Search and AI Restriction: Instagram is expanding its blocking of search terms related to sensitive topics (like suicide and eating disorders) to a broader range of keywords, including “alcohol” or “gore,” even if misspelled. Furthermore, the PG-13 guidelines will be applied to AI chats and experiences targeting teens, ensuring AI models provide age-appropriate responses.
Parental controls: Crucially, teens will not be able to manually change the default PG-13 content settings without obtaining permission from a parent or guardian. Meta is also introducing an even stricter “limited content” setting, which parents can choose to activate, blocking even more content and removing the ability for teens to see, leave, or receive comments on posts.