Update on September 21, 2025 at 9:00PM PT:
In April, we announced that we were beginning to use AI technology in the US to find suspected teens on our platforms and proactively place them in Teen Account settings. We’ve been encouraged by the response we’ve seen since that announcement. For example, we’ve seen many in our industry announce their own efforts to estimate the age of their users and place them in age-appropriate settings. We’re also encouraged that over 9 out of every 10 active teen accounts on Instagram remain in protections built to reduce unwanted content. Based on the success of these updates in the US, we will expand testing to the UK, Canada, and Australia, starting today.
People in these countries that we suspect to be under 18, even if they list an adult birthday, will be placed in Teen Account settings, with built-in protections around who can contact them and the content that they see. We’re taking steps to ensure our technology is accurate and that we are correctly placing teens we identify into protective, age-appropriate settings, but in case we make a mistake, we’re giving people the option to change their settings. These settings also include additional built-in protections we recently announced that prevent teens from going Live or turning off the protection that hides unwanted images in DMs.
We also know that parents want to play a more active role in their teens’ online experiences. So we are expanding our parents’ call to action. Parents in the UK, Canada, and Australia will receive notifications on Instagram with information on how to have conversations with their teens about the importance of listing the correct birthday on social media to ensure they have safe, age-appropriate experiences online.
Originally published on April 21, 2025 at 3:00AM PT:
We launched Instagram Teen Accounts last year to better support parents, and give them peace of mind that their teens have the right protections in place. This reimagined experience has built-in protections that limit who can contact teens, the content they see and the time they spend online. Teens are automatically placed in these protective settings, and teens under 16 need parental or guardian approval to make changes. Now, we’re announcing additional steps we’re taking to ensure as many teens as possible benefit from these new protections.
Parents Tell Us that Teen Accounts are Helpful
Since September, there are at least 54 million active Teen Accounts globally, with 97% of teens ages 13-15 electing to remain in these protections, and we recently expanded the Teen Account experience to Facebook and Messenger. (Updated on April 21, 2025 at 2:05PM PT.)
Parents and teens alike are telling us that they are happy with this new, reimagined experience. And although over 90% of parents surveyed say the new Teen Account protections are helpful in supporting their teens on Instagram, we’re continuing to listen to parents who are concerned about how overwhelming the internet can be when it comes to making sure teens have age-appropriate experiences.
Parents’ Call to Action
Starting today, we’ll begin sending notifications to parents on Instagram with information about how they can have conversations with their teens on the importance of providing the correct age online. We worked with experts like pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart to share tips on how to have these conversations, and to check and confirm their teens’ ages on our apps.
The digital world continues to evolve and we have to evolve with it. That’s why it’s important that we work together with parents to make sure as many teens as possible have the protective settings that come with Teen Accounts.
New Technology to Find Suspected Teens and Place Them in Teen Accounts Settings
Parents are busy and don’t always have the time to review these settings. That’s why we’re continuing to take additional steps to ensure as many teens as possible are in Teen Account settings. Today, we’re beginning to test AI technology in the US that is designed to proactively find accounts we suspect belong to teens, even if the account lists an adult birthday, and place them in Teen Account settings. (Updated on April 21, 2025 at 6:15AM PT.)
We’ve been using artificial intelligence to help determine age ranges for some time, but leveraging it in this way is a big change. We’re taking steps to ensure our technology is accurate and that we are correctly placing teens we identify into protective, age-appropriate settings, but in case we make a mistake, we’re giving people the option to change their settings. You can read more about the work we are doing to ensure teens do not misrepresent their age here. (Updated on April 21, 2025 at 6:15AM PT.)
Understanding the age of people online is an industry-wide challenge. We’ll continue our efforts to help ensure teens are placed in age-appropriate online experiences, like Teen Accounts, but the most effective way to understand age is by obtaining parental approval and verifying age on the app store.
