Instagram introduces teen accounts in SG, restricts features for underage users

Meta has introduced restrictions on Instagram features for Singaporean users under the age of 18. The restrictions include the implementation of its "teen accounts".

As such, teens in Singapore over 13 and under the age of 18 will be automatically placed into the teen accounts over the coming months.

Teen accounts features built-in protections to limit who can contact underage users and the content they view on the social media app. Accounts will also be made private by default, with users needing to manually approve follow and message requests. The feature also limits the type of sensitive content being shown in the "explore" and "reels" section of the app. 

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Teens will automatically be placed into teen accounts. That said, teens under the age of 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any settings to be less strict. 

Additionally, teens will see notifications informing them to leave the app after 60 minutes each day, and sleep mode will be turned on between 10pm and 7am. Sleep mode mutes notifications overnight and send auto-replies to messages. 

Meta first introduced teens accounts in September last year, noting the new feature was designed to reassure parents that their children are having safe experiences on the app. 

To include parents in the process, the feature allows adults to get insights who their teens are chatting with, set daily time limits on Instagram usage, block teens from using Instagram for specific time periods, and view topics that their teen has been browsing. 

Meta is also building technology to scan for users who have falsified their age, by scanning users' profile pictures and the demographic of followers. 

Tara Hopkins, global director of public policy for Instagram and Threads said, "We know parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests, without having to worry about unsafe or inappropriate experiences. Teen Accounts have been designed to better support parents, and give them peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place". 

The new feature will be rolled out in Asia progressively. Meta also stated it will be bringing the feature to other platforms in the coming year. 

The introduction of teen accounts follows the Singapore government's reported consideration to implement a legislation which limits the use of social media to protect young users. This comes after Australia recently passed a law in November last year, banning children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms. 

At the time, it was reported that Singapore was in talks with Australian counterparts and social media platforms to understand their views on the matter.

In response to a question in parliament on the effectiveness of such bans, Rahayu Mahzam, minister of State for Digital Development and Information reportedly stated that the objective of legislating age limits for social media access is to protect children and youth from its harms. She also added that Singapore shares the same objective with Australia and will continue studying the ban's effectiveness of mandating age limits. 

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