To start with, Instagram is built to be highly addictive — and children can connect with anyone on the platform. This raises several potential dangers, such as cyberbullying, low self-esteem, body image issues, stalking, phishing, and more. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t currently offer any stringent parental controls. But it does have a range of privacy features that every parent should know how to set up. These include the ability to:
Have a private account that prevents strangers from seeing posts or sending messages Limit unwanted interactions with other users Block sensitive content that may be unsuitable for children
Moreover, what can parents do to monitor their kids on this social media app and ensure they stay safe? This article will explore the potential dangers of Instagram for children and the parental controls it offers.
Is Instagram Safe for Kids?
Like other social media platforms such as YouTube and Reddit, Instagram is built to be addictive. It aims to attract as many people as possible to use the app for as long as possible. However, extended screen time isn’t the only problem with this platform. On Instagram, users can share and view images and videos; follow and interact with other people; and send private messages (known as “direct messages” or “DMs”) to anyone on the app. This means children can connect with anyone on the platform without fully knowing who that person is. Fake accounts abound on the platform, as do child predators. Moreover, Instagram is owned by Facebook, now known as Meta, which is notorious for its murky privacy practices and lack of content regulation. Considering these aspects, below are some of the main dangers of Instagram that parents should be aware of when allowing their kids to use the platform.
Cyberbullying on Instagram
If you run a simple Google search on “cyberbullying on Instagram,” you’ll find endless news stories and research articles about the issue. According to the 2017 Annual Bullying Survey, 42% of respondents experienced cyberbullying on Instagram. This was higher than any other platform, with Facebook coming in second at 37%. Additionally, a 2019 survey by the Cyberbullying Research Center revealed that 36.5% of respondents experienced cyberbullying at some point in their lives. This can be from children’s friends and schoolmates, as well as random strangers. It’s clear then that cyberbullying is a major threat for kids on all social media platforms — and, unfortunately, it can have severe long-term effects, such as severe emotional distress, depression, violence, and more.
Emotional effects on kids
Instagram has been extensively linked to anxiety, negative body image, and other adverse effects in users of all ages. However, it’s especially harmful to the mental health of kids, particularly teenage girls. This is because the platform tends to promote constant comparison with others, a need for perfection, and other such behaviors that can emotionally scar children. Teens can easily feel “left out” and “less than” if they cannot flaunt the same lifestyles or looks that they see online. Moreover, Instagram is flooded with celebrities and influencers who can spread misleading information on everything from health to politics. They can also encourage kids to buy products and services that are fake, harmful, exorbitantly expensive, or simply unnecessary.
Instagram privacy issues
Just like other websites and apps, Instagram collects information about users. It can be a privacy nightmare when kids and teens post personal information about themselves. Imagine a stranger being privy to who your child’s friends are, where they go to school, what their daily routine looks like, and where they like to go on weekends. It’s pretty easy to piece together this information from Instagram profiles and posts. Children can then be stalked in real life and roped into dangerous situations. Plus, strangers can get ahold of your child’s contact information and begin bullying, spamming, or catfishing them through different communication channels. Moreover, there’s an abundance of Instagram scams that children can fall victim to, ranging from phishing to fake contests, misleading offers, the sale of counterfeit products, and more.
How to Keep Kids Safe on Instagram
All of the risks mentioned above make it essential to set up the privacy controls that Instagram offers and educate children about online safety from a young age. Unfortunately, Instagram does not specifically offer any parental controls. But there are several steps parents can take to make Instagram safer for kids and teens. Below are our top tips.
1. Talk to your kids
Before anything else, talk openly to your children about the potential dangers of social media and how they can stay safe when using it. Simply banning kids from using the platforms is not a solution because they’re likely to secretly use it anyway without your knowledge, which can make matters worse. Instead, allow them the freedom to use Instagram — but monitor their activities in a healthy and respectful way. You can talk to them about privacy and help them change some of the settings listed below. Most importantly, make sure your children feel safe about coming to you if they face any trouble on Instagram.
2. Use parental control apps
Parental control apps can help you monitor your kids’ online activity and set limits about what they can do online and for how long. However, we recommend that you use these third-party apps with caution to ensure you’re also respecting your children’s privacy. For instance, parental control apps are more suitable for young kids below 13 years of age, as they need more supervision. Teenagers, on the other hand, should be granted privileges that don’t make them feel constantly monitored. It’s a good idea to be open with your kids about the parental control app you’re using and why. Let them know what information you’ll be seeing, and don’t unnecessarily pry into their online activity and chats. One of the best parental control apps we recommend is Bark. It does a great job of only flagging potential concerns so that your child can enjoy some privacy too and learn how to use the internet responsibly. Click the button below to visit the Bark website for more details about the app.
3. Turn off location sharing
Tagging the location in posts makes it pretty easy for stalkers and other predators to track down kids in real life. Moreover, they may even monitor your child’s posting activity and guess where they often hang out. So, it’s highly recommended that they turn off the location in their Instagram posts. Unfortunately, Instagram does not offer any way to completely turn off location sharing. Therefore, it’s best to instruct your child never to add locations to their Instagram posts and explain the potential dangers to them. At the same time, you can go back and remove the location information of previous posts. However, when we checked, this was only possible on Instagram’s iOS app and not on the Android version. Here’s how to do it on iOS:
4. Limit time on the app
As we already mentioned, Instagram is highly addictive, and spending hours on it can take a toll on children’s emotional well-being. To combat this, the app lets you set a daily limit for using it and offers reminders when the limit is reached. Here are the instructions to set it up. Now, whenever the selected time limit is reached, Instagram will remind your child to stop using it. Of course, this is not a foolproof method because it does not actually prevent children from using the app once the limit has been reached. For this, you can try external parental control apps, such as Bark.
5. Set up Instagram’s privacy settings
Instagram offers a range of privacy settings that you can tweak to make it safer for kids and teens. Below, we’ll look at each of them in turn. Please note that since Instagram is primarily a mobile platform, the instructions we’ve given are for the Instagram app on Android and iOS. They may not all be available on the web or desktop version. Follow the steps below to access Instagram’s privacy settings: From here, you can access each of the settings described in the next section.
How to Set Up Your Instagram Privacy Settings
Despite the public nature of Instagram and other social media apps, there are several steps you can take to enhance privacy on Instagram. Following these for your kids’ Instagram accounts will prevent strangers from contacting them and hide all or most offensive content. Below, we’ve covered all the measures you should take to set up your children’s Instagram privacy settings.
Set to private account
Instagram users can have either public or private accounts. Public accounts can be viewed by anyone, while private accounts are closed and require the owner to approve “follow requests” before anyone can view the posts or send messages. Photos and videos added to a public account are all considered public posts. It’s best for kids to keep their accounts private if they share anything personal about themselves on the platform. Instagram lets you choose the type of account when first setting it up, but you can also check it any time as follows: On the Instagram privacy settings page, make sure “Private Account” is toggled ON.
Temporarily limit unwanted interactions
If your child is facing harassment on Instagram, you can temporarily limit all unwanted comments and messages.
Hide offensive comments
Instagram can automatically protect your child from comments and message requests that contain offensive language. You can also add custom words that you want to filter out.
Block comments
If your child is receiving inappropriate comments on their posts, you can block specific users from commenting.
Hide posts and tags
Instagram lets you hide the number of likes and views on the posts you see in your feed. It’s a good idea to enable this feature in children’s accounts as it can help combat unhealthy comparison that arises from constantly seeing likes and views. In the same section, you can also control who can “tag” your child in posts.
Mentions
Mentions are similar to tags, and it’s best to keep them turned off so that others cannot mention your child’s username in Instagram stories, comments, photos, and videos.
Turn off Activity Status
Activity Status lets people you follow or message know when you are online or last active on Instagram. It’s a good idea to keep this turned off so that nobody can know when your child is actively using the app.
Restrict messages
In this setting, you can prevent strangers from messaging your child and also prevent your child from being added to unknown group chats. That wraps up the account privacy settings you should change to make Instagram safer for kids. But there’s also a lot more you can do, as explained in the next steps.
Remove unknown followers
It’s wise to make sure that no strangers are following your kids on Instagram. For this, you can check the followers’ list at any time using the steps below.
Unfollow unsuitable accounts
Like removing unwanted followers, you can also check who your child is following to prevent them from viewing unsuitable content on Instagram.
Block or report users
If an Instagram account is bothering your child, the first action to take is to block and report it. This will prevent further interaction and alert Instagram about the issue you’ve faced.
Report offensive posts
Apart from reporting accounts, you can also report individual posts from the Instagram feed.
Control ads
Instagram earns revenue through ads and features highly targeted advertising. This may feature adult themes and topics that may be inappropriate for kids. You can limit this ad content as follows.
Block sensitive content
Instagram features a vast variety of content that may include posts about sensitive topics that may upset children. This could include posts featuring violence, politics, crime, hate speech, etc. Instagram offers the option to limit such content, as explained below.
How to Deactivate or Delete an Instagram Account
As a last resort, you can temporarily deactivate your child’s Instagram account if they are facing issues with it. You can also permanently delete an account. Of course, this should always be a collaborative decision taken with your child. Keep in mind that since Instagram is owned by Facebook (now called Meta), it’s unclear what user data the company retains on its servers after an account is deleted. Meta is not very transparent about this information. To temporarily disable or permanently delete your child’s Instagram account, you will need to use a browser. The process currently doesn’t work on the mobile app.
Temporarily disable an Instagram account
Permanently delete an Instagram account
How Does Instagram Handle Safety Concerns?
In March 2021, Instagram announced new steps to protect young users. Most notably, it’s working on more advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to understand the real age of users. This is because although Instagram requires users to be at least 13 years old to create an account, it’s difficult to verify the birth date a user enters when signing up. Furthermore, it’s taking the following safety measures:
New users under 16 years old (or 18 in some counties) will automatically have private accounts. If a young person already has a public account, Instagram will notify them about the benefits of a private account and remind them to check their privacy settings. Strangers displaying “potentially suspicious behavior” won’t be able to connect with kids and teens on Instagram. Users under 18 years old will only see ads based on “age, gender, and location,” and not on interests or activities to potentially limit inappropriate content. Adults cannot send direct messages to anyone under 18 years old unless the recipient follows them. It will be harder for adults to search for kids’ and teenagers’ profiles and content.
Final Thoughts: Instagram Parental Controls Need a Boost
Given the popularity of Instagram among young netizens, we think it could benefit from more refined parental controls, such as supervised accounts for children or maybe an exclusive app for kids and teens with stricter content regulation. With adequate guidance and support, we can help a young Instagram user enjoy the benefits of Instagram and other apps for a fun, educational, and inspiring experience. The key lies in empowering children with digital literacy from a young age and teaching them the fundamentals of staying safe online. What kind of parental control settings and safety features would you like on Instagram and other social media? Let us know in the comments below. You can also keep reading on kids’ social media safety:
Is Facebook Messenger Kids Safe? Is TikTok Safe for Kids? Is Youtube Kids Safe? Is Discord Safe for Kids? Is PopJam Safe for Kids? Is Reddit Safe for Kids? How Safe Are Social Virtual Reality Apps for Kids? Likee: Is This Risky TikTok Clone Safe for Kids?
