A lot of people use social media platforms like Instagram. But the content uploaded to the platform can be questionable at times, even for adults, so imagine if a younger user was exposed to it. Now, Instagram has announced it is expanding content restrictions based on 13+ movie ratings criteria internationally.
Instagram teen accounts get expanded content restrictions
For those unfamiliar, last October, Instagram announced content restrictions for teen accounts based on 13+ movies ratings criteria. However, back then these restrictions were limited to Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US. But now, Instagram says it is applying those guidelines internationally for all teen accounts.
According to Instagram, “Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear some strong language in a movie rated for ages 13+, teens may occasionally see something like that on Instagram, but we’re going to keep doing all we can to keep those instances as rare as possible.”
As to why they’re basing these restrictions on movie ratings, Instagram says that it’s because it’s already something parents are familiar with. “We’ve decided to align our policies with an independent standard that parents are familiar with, so we reviewed our age-appropriate guidelines against movie ratings for ages 13+ and updated them accordingly. While of course there are differences between movies and social media, we made these changes so teens’ experiences in the 13+ setting feel closer to the Instagram equivalent of watching a movie that’s been rated appropriate for 13+.”
What changed from before?
Now, this isn’t to say that before this, Instagram had no protection for minors using the app. Before this, when minors signed up for an account, their accounts were set to private automatically. It also limited contact, where only followers or connections could contact the account user. There were also restrictions when it came to sensitive content, along with enforced time limitations. Teens under 16 had to get parental permission to loosen them.
When Meta previously rolled out these restrictions, it tried to use PG-13-inspired limits. However, the MPA sent the company a cease-and-desist letter. The organization said that the movie rating system cannot be compared with social media content.
The post Instagram Is Expanding Content Restrictions for Teens Worldwide: Here’s What Changes appeared first on Android Headlines.
