New Instagram parental controls in UK overview:
- Who: Instagram owner Meta has launched new parental controls on the platform
- Why: The move comes amid rising concern about the impact of social media on teen mental health
- Where: UK
There are now new parental controls available on Instagram in the UK, amid mounting fears around the impact of social media on teen mental health.
On June 14, Instagram owner Meta launched the new controls across the platform for UK users, the BBC reports. The Instagram tools were introduced in the United States in March.
They include the option of setting daily time limits of between 15 minutes and 2 hours, after which a black screen appears on the app.
Parents can also schedule break times and see any accounts their child reports, and why they did so.
Another feature being trialled is a “nudge” tool, which prompts teens to look for different subjects if they search the same thing repeatedly.
The tools also allow parents to invite their children to activate the tools, when they previously had to be activated by the young person themselves.
New VR dashboard for parents
Meta is rolling out a parent dashboard on all Quest virtual reality headsets worldwide.
The new VR controls include purchase approval, app blocking and the option to view their child’s friends’ lists.
Instagram is officially for young people aged 13 and over.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Meta—which owns Facebook and WhatsApp as well as Instagram—had conducted some research which found that teenagers blamed Instagram for increased feelings of anxiety and depression – and then kept the study secret.
Psychologists are also raising the alarm over the mental health impact TikTok is having on its users, particularly adolescents, as they notice a rise in people self-diagnosing with rare mental disorders and waves of teens presenting with identical “tics” seen on popular TikTok accounts.
Meanwhile, the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority has been leading an investigation cracking down on the number of fake reviews on online platforms.
What do you think of the impact of Instagram on young people? Let us know in the comments!
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