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Instagram will roll out its first parental controls in March as it faces pressure to do more to protect its young users from harmful content and prevent them from overusing the product.
Adam Mosseri, head of the app at Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta, said in a blog post that parents can see how long their teenage kids use Instagram and limit the time they spend online. application. Teens will also be able to tell their parents if they report someone violating Instagram policies.
“This is the first version of these vehicles; We will continue to add more options over time.”
Mr Mosseri will appear before the Senate committee. He is expected to answer questions on Wednesday and whether social media is harming children and teenagers. The app has been under new pressure ever since. Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, Leaked documents show that the company knows Instagram is making teen girls feel worse.
Mr Mosseri said in his blog post that Instagram has developed a number of other tweaks for child safety. Users will no longer be able to tag or mention teens who don’t follow them. The app is also rolling out a feature for all its users in January that will allow them to mass delete their posts, comments and likes.
It was unclear whether Mr Mosseri’s statement would appease the lawmakers. “Meta is trying to distract attention from its mistakes by issuing parental guides, using timers and content control features that consumers should always have,” said Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee. “But my colleagues and I see what they are doing.”
Instagram is one of several major tech platforms exploring changes in how kids can use their products, partly due to new child safety guidelines in the UK. The app said it’s considering asking some younger users to go through a stricter process to prove how old they are, but hasn’t added those features yet.
Cecilia Kang contributing reporting.
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