Instagram Bans Under-18s From Receiving Texts From Strangers

Meta has implemented a new safety upgrade that prohibits under-18s from getting Instagram messages from people they do not follow or are not connected to.

The social media giant stated that the adjustment is part of its continuous efforts to create ‘age-appropriate experiences for teens’ across its apps.

The adjustment extends an existing Meta policy that prohibits adults from messaging teens who do not follow them. Meta stated in a blog post: “Under this new default setting, teens can only be messaged or added to group chats by people they already follow or are connected to, helping teens and their parents feel even more confident that they won’t hear from people they don’t know in their DMs.

“This default setting will apply to all teens under the age of 16 (or under 18 in certain countries). Those already on Instagram will see a notification at the top of their feed letting them know we’re making these changes to their message settings.

“We’re also making these changes to teens’ default settings on Messenger, where under-16s (or under 18 in certain countries) will only receive messages from Facebook friends, or people they’re connected to through phone contacts, for example.”

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In an additional safety upgrade, Meta said that parents can now authorise or reject requests from their adolescents to modify their default privacy and safety settings using its already-available supervision tools.

Previously, Instagram only informed parents when their child performed a change.

Meta said: “For example, if a teen using supervision tries to change their account from private to public, change their sensitive content control from ‘less’ to ‘standard’, or – now – tries to change their DM settings to hear from people they’re not already following or connected to, their parent will receive a notification prompting them to approve or deny the request.

“As with all our parental supervision tools, this new feature is intended to help facilitate offline conversations between parents and their teens, as they navigate their online lives together and decide what’s best for them and their families.”

The upgrade comes as social media sites continue to face criticism for their influence on younger users.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was urged to consider banning social media and smartphones for under-16s.

Miriam Cates, a Conservative MP, stated that there has been a ‘marked increase’ in poor teenage mental health since 2010, and she urged for tighter measures to address the issue.

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Ms Cates said: “Since 2010, across the English-speaking world, there has been a marked increase in poor teen mental health, teen suicide attempts and children addicted to pornography.

“The United Kingdom has a strong tradition of legislating to protect children from serious threats to their safety and welfare.

“So does (the Prime Minister) agree with me that it’s time to consider banning social media and perhaps even smartphones for under-16s?”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli