The social media site Instagram said on Tuesday that it is updating its advertising and privacy policies to protect young users, a move that has been affected by growing criticism of the impact of photo-sharing apps on the mental health of teenagers.
The platform is owned by Facebook and said it will ensure that users under the age of 18 use private accounts by default. They will also make it more difficult for “potentially suspicious accounts” to contact underage users and limit advertising options for teenagers.
“Creating an experience on Instagram that is safe and private but fun for young people, accompanied by competitive challenges,” Instagram said in a statement. Blog post Announce changes. “We want them to easily make new friends and keep up with their interests, but we don’t want them to deal with unwelcome DMs or comments from strangers.”
Instagram faces Increasing pressure From legislators, regulators, parents, and advocates claim that the company failed to adequately protect the mental health of young users and prevent them Sexual predator and Bullying.
Facebook and Instagram also stated that they are investigating better ways to verify the age of users to determine when the youth policy should be applied. NPR pointed out.
The statement read: “We want to strike the right balance between providing young people with everything they like on Instagram while keeping them safe.”
For young users who already have a public Instagram account, the photo sharing app will send them a notification about the benefits of a private account and explain how to change their privacy settings. The user can choose whether to switch.
