By Erika Koutroumpa,
Mobile phones are constantly becoming more accessible, and this compels many parents across the globe to use this as a means of communication during emergencies. However, this means that an increasing amount of minors has access to social media, which that in itself poses a unique set of dangers. This is why Instagram is introducing new “built in” protections for minors in U.K., USA, Canada and Australia.
The concept is a “new experience for teens, guided by parents”, applying the new measures de facto for all accounts where the user is under 18. Accounts will be automatically set to private and settings for 13-year olds will be able to be adjusted only by adding an adult legal guardian. This, of course relies on the user being honest about their age, although the application has been testing the use of algorithms to verify the age of users with suspicious activity.
However, it is required for the parents themselves to have an Instagram account to surveil their child’s activity and despite everything they cannot control the content being published by others or the software that suggests such content to their offsprings.
The U.K. Online Safety Act will be enacted by the second half of 2025, and it puts pressure on social media moguls to take more decisive action against malignant content targeted towards minors in search engines. It also makes it easier for parents to request for data to monitor their child’s online behaviour. Recent riots in August have led to the act being revisited, with many critics claiming that social media needs to be filtered more to prevent the spread of misinformation and hate rhetoric. The act predicts for up to 10% fines of their revenue, should they be proved unsafe for users.
According to the UN, 75% of 15 to 24 year olds were online in 2023. The internet can be a great resource for learning and exploring the world, but it can also pose a great danger. Cyberbullying, misinformation and exposure to hate speech are all parts of the reality that minors have to face when they go online and oftentimes, due to lack of experience, they are ill-equipped to deal with them in a healthy way.
In the rest of Europe, the Digital Services Act has significantly changed the way underage users’ data is being handled by social media companies in the EU. Platforms are now not allowed to target minors with personalised ads. If not compliant, they can be sued for up to 6% of worldwide revenue. China has also introduced similar legislation, with an additional measure that schools and families ought to teach children how to use online platforms in a safe manner.
As mobile phone usage continues to rise among minors, so too does their access to social media, bringing with it potential risks such as cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content. Instagram’s introduction of built-in protections for minors in select countries, along with global legislative efforts like the U.K. Online Safety Act and the EU’s Digital Services Act, mark crucial steps toward safeguarding younger users. While these measures show promise, the role of parents, educational institutions, and further regulatory action remains vital in creating a safer online environment for children.
References
- Instagram boosts privacy and parental control on teen accounts. BBC News. Available here
- Online Safety Act- Explainer. UK Gov. Available here
- Online Safety Bill: divisive internet rules become law. BBC News. Available here
- Outside the US, teens’ social media experiences are more tightly controlled. CNN. Available here
