Instagram Overhauls Privacy for Teens

In mid-September 2024, Instagram announced major changes to its privacy measures for users of the social media platform that are 17 and under. With recent focus on children’s privacy online, including the suit brought by attorneys general last year against Meta, Instagram has seemingly responded to these pressures with this policy overhaul.  Instagram introduced “Teen Accounts” for users ages 13 – 17, where these accounts receive automatic heighted privacy settings, including making the account private by default and restrictions on receipt of messages from non-connected accounts, sensitive content, offensive comments, and tagging from unconnected accounts. While these default settings may be changed by users, for users under 16, this requires parent or guardian assistance.

One aspect of the suit brought against Meta alleged that the tech giant does not, and does not even try to, obtain verifiable parental consent from children under 13 for collection of personal information. This verifiable parent consent is a requirement of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) and is one of the core claims to the attorneys general suits. On its Teen Account about page, Instagram states that it has new mechanisms to ensure that teens 13 – 17 are not lying about their age to receive unrestricted accounts, however, it is not immediately clear whether these mechanisms will effect procedures for verifiable parent consent for users under 13.

These changes are clearly aimed at reducing the negative mental health impact on teens using social media platforms, as well as enhancing privacy for these children.  Instagram plans to automatically convert qualifying accounts to Teen Accounts within the next 60 days.