Let's talk about the updates to Instagram's Teen Accounts

What do we think?

Want to know one of the wilder aspects of writing this newsletter, at least to me? I am now sent embargoed press releases on a regular basis. (Embargoed means you are getting the news in advance, and can’t share it until an agreed-upon date.) Maybe it’s the Enneagram 5 in me, but there’s just something appealing about getting the scoop early :)

Despite my delight at being included, I cover almost none of the news I’m sent — or, at least, not in a direct way. (TCF newsletters tend to be more relational and less newsy, you know?) But when a recent press release from Meta (yes, that Meta 😳) crossed my proverbial desk, I knew I wanted to chat about it here.

The big headline: Meta just announced the most significant update to Teen Accounts since they launched last year, building on the automatic protections already provided by Teen Accounts to hundreds of millions of teens globally.

Here’s a bit more, in their words:

“Last year, Instagram announced Teen Accounts, which reimagined the Instagram experience for teens — and their parents — with built-in restrictions on who can contact teens, the content they see, and their time spent on the app. Since then, 97% of teens ages 13-15 have kept their default restrictions on and nearly all parents surveyed (94%) say Teen Accounts are helpful for parents.”

So what’s in the update? Let’s take a look: