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Instagram audit

Instagram: what's actually risky, and the 5 switches to flip

Teen Accounts do a lot by default. Most of what's left is who can reach your child in messages, and how long Reels keeps them.

8 minute readNo sign-in · every setting path written out
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Since September 2024 Instagram has put everyone aged 13 to 17 into a Teen Account automatically. That means a private profile, messages only from people they're already connected to, and the strictest filter on offensive comments, all switched on before you do anything.

The catch is who can change it. Under-16s need a parent's permission to make those settings less strict. A 16 or 17 year-old can loosen them alone, unless a parent has set up supervision.

So the useful work here is setting up supervision, picking the content level on purpose, and talking about the two places the settings don't reach: messages from people your child already accepted, and Reels with no last video.

Before you flip anything

What the platform does without you

Minimum age

Teen Accounts and supervision are built for ages 13 to 17, and supervision needs the parent to be over 18. A child under 13 shouldn't have an account at all. And the age on the account is whatever was typed at sign-up, so check it.

Instagram Help Center · Official help centre, current

By default

Teen Accounts start private, and only people the teen is already connected to can message them. Tags, mentions and remixing are limited to people they follow, and potentially offensive comments and message requests are hidden with the strictest Hidden Words setting.

Instagram · Official page, current

By default

Sleep mode runs from 10PM to 7AM every day, muting notifications and auto-replying to messages, and a reminder to close the app appears after 60 minutes of use in a day.

Instagram · Official page, current

By default

Since April 2025, under-16s can't go Live or switch off the blur on suspected nude images in messages without a parent's permission.

Meta Newsroom · 17 September 2024 (updated 10 April and 11 June 2025)

By default

From October 2025, teens are placed in an updated 'Ages 13+' content setting by default, and can't opt out without a parent's permission.

Meta Newsroom · 14 October 2025 (updated 19 December 2025 and 31 March 2026)

Must-flip

The switches worth changing

Answers that change with age

0 of 5 done

  1. Set up supervision

    Supervision is what turns Teen Account defaults into something you can manage. Either of you can send the invite, and both of you have to accept. Only one parent can supervise, and the invite expires after 7 days.

    Their phone: Profile>menu>Family Center (or Supervision)>send an invite to you

    Watch for this: Instagram moves this entry point between app versions. If you can't find it, update the app on both phones first, since supervision needs the latest version.

  2. Choose the content level on purpose

    There are three levels: Limited content, Ages 13+ (the default) and More content. Limited content also turns off comments and stops people @mentioning your child. Decide together rather than just accepting the default.

    Family Center>your teen>Content setting

    Under 12: Under 13 there shouldn't be an account. Say that plainly rather than treating it as a grey area.

  3. Set a daily time limit

    The 60-minute reminder is only a nudge. A time limit you set through supervision is the version that actually stops the app. Reels is where the time goes, so agree the number with them.

    Family Center>your teen>Time limits

  4. Look at who they're messaging, together

    With supervision you can see which accounts your teen has been chatting with. You can't see the messages themselves. Go through the list with your child instead of checking it behind their back. It's a conversation starter, not a surveillance tool.

    Family Center>your teen>Insights

  5. Keep the profile private and check the age

    Under-16s can't go public without you. A 16 or 17 year-old who isn't supervised can. And every protection above depends on the birthdate on the account being right.

    Settings and activity>Account privacy

    Watch for this: Older teen accounts that were already public before Teen Accounts launched weren't switched to private automatically. Check rather than assume.

Watch for this

What to notice, not just what to block

Watch for this

Followers they don't actually know

A private account only protects your child from people they haven't accepted. Messages from connections get through by design, so the follower list is the real gate.

Watch for this

Requests to move to another app

Someone asking to carry on the chat on Snapchat, Telegram or by text is asking to leave the Teen Account protections behind. The request itself is the thing to notice.

Watch for this

A second account

A second profile with a different birthdate has none of the controls you just set. It's the most common way a well-managed teen ends up somewhere unmanaged.

Worth knowing

The defaults are genuinely doing work

A private profile, sleep mode and messages limited to connections are a solid starting point. You're not starting from nothing.

Honest limits

What these settings won't do

Supervision shows contacts, not conversations

You can see who your teen chats with. You can't read what was said, and Instagram doesn't flag a conversation that slowly turns uncomfortable.

The content level doesn't cover everything

Instagram says the content setting doesn't control all of its filtering, and its AI features use their own fixed level of protection. It narrows the feed. It doesn't empty it.

Sixteen changes the rules

Without supervision, a 16 or 17 year-old can loosen their own settings. If you want a say after their sixteenth birthday, set up supervision before it.

Before the download

Three questions to agree out loud

These aren't a test. They're the conversation that makes a yes safe — and they work for an app that isn't on this list too.

  1. 1Who are you okay with following you? Do you actually know every one of them?
  2. 2If someone you don't know messages you, or asks to move to another app, what do you do?
  3. 3How much time a day feels right on Reels, and what happens when the limit hits?

Settings vs street smarts

Controls set the boundary. Judgement keeps them safe when you're not looking.

Teen Accounts decide who can message your child and what Reels can show them. They say nothing about what your child does when a follower they half-know asks for a private photo, or suggests moving the chat somewhere else. NetWise Kids puts them in a realistic group chat, DM or trade request and lets them practise saying no, before the real one arrives.

Start the free family pilot

Other audits

The other four apps

RobloxRoblox: what's actually risky, and the 5 switches to flipRoblox isn't one game, it's millions of them. The risk isn't the games — it's the chat, the trades, and the age on the account.10 minTikTokTikTok: what's actually risky, and the 5 switches to flipTikTok's defaults are better than their reputation. The problem isn't a setting you forgot — it's a feed with no ending.8 minSnapchatSnapchat: what's actually risky, and the 5 switches to flipSnapchat's defaults are quietly good. The risk is location, streaks, and the belief that a snap really disappears.8 minDiscordDiscord: what's actually risky, and the 5 switches to flipDiscord is a hundred different places depending on which server you're in. Set it up by asking which one.10 minYouTubeYouTube: what's actually risky, and the 5 switches to flipYouTube's risk isn't the videos they search for — it's autoplay finding the next one. Here's where to set the ceiling.8 min
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Evidence

Where every number on this page comes from

Nothing here is estimated. If a figure couldn't be sourced, it was cut.

  1. Meta Newsroom

    17 September 2024 (updated 10 April and 11 June 2025)

    Introducing Instagram Teen Accounts: Built-In Protections for Teens, Peace of Mind for Parents

    The platform's own documentation

    Company announcement. The April 2025 update added the under-16 Live and DM nudity-blur restrictions; the June 2025 update states Teen Accounts reached every country Instagram operates in.

  2. Instagram

    Official page, current

    Instagram Teen Accounts: default settings for teens

    The platform's own documentation

    Lists the defaults: private account, messages only from connections, Ages 13+ content, Hidden Words, nudity protection, sleep mode 10PM-7AM, a 60-minute reminder.

  3. Instagram Help Center

    Official help centre, current

    About Instagram Teen Accounts

    The platform's own documentation

    Under-16s need a parent's permission to loosen settings; 16-17 year-olds can change them unless supervised. Time limits and the chat-contacts view require supervision.

  4. Instagram Help Center

    Official help centre, current

    Set up teen supervision on Instagram

    The platform's own documentation

    Both teen and parent must agree. Teen 13-17, parent over 18, one supervising parent per teen, invites expire after 7 days.

  5. Instagram Help Center

    Official help centre, current

    Manage your teen's content setting for their Teen Account

    The platform's own documentation

    Three levels: Limited content, Ages 13+ (default), More content. The setting doesn't govern every filter, and AI features use their own fixed protection level.

  6. Meta Newsroom

    14 October 2025 (updated 19 December 2025 and 31 March 2026)

    Instagram Teen Accounts Will Be Inspired by 13+ Movie Ratings Criteria and Parent Feedback

    The platform's own documentation

    Meta states the MPA did not rate or endorse Instagram content; the wording was revised after MPA feedback. Don't describe the setting as 'PG-13'.