TECH TIP: USING INSTAGRAM'S NEW TEEN ACCOUNT SETTINGS TO SUPERVISE YOUNG USERS

Worried about your teen’s Instagram use? Faced with growing pressure to do more to stop online harm, the social media platform has rolled out a major new update to protect young people and give parents more control.

With many teens spending almost all of their time online, parents are concerned that social media is exposing them to harmful content like cyberbullying, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. Prominent profile figures including U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Prince Harry have warned about the risks.

Critics say Instagram’s changes are a step in the right direction but they still put the onus on parents and children instead of the company to deal with the problem.

Here’s a guide to Instagram’s new teen accounts:

WHAT LIMITS WILL YOUNG USERS HAVE?

Instagram already prohibits anyone under 13 from signing up.

Now, teen accounts will automatically be set to private. That means they’ll have to accept or reject requests from new followers. Other users won’t be able to see a teen user’s posts and videos, or tag the account.

Teens will also face messaging restrictions. They can only receive direct messages from people they’re following or who follow them. But they can still send messages to other accounts.

And they’ll be subject to the strictest content settings, and won’t be shown content involving sensitive topics like fighting videos and posts about cosmetic procedures. Instagram’s antibullying feature will be set to the highest level to screen out offensive words and phrases in comments and direct message requests.