Instagram has rolled out new tools that parents can use to help monitor and limit their children’s use of the photo-sharing app, after months of disclosures that raised concerns about the platform’s impact on younger users.
The tools give parents the ability to see how much time their children spend on Instagram. It also allows them to set limits on the use of the platform, as well as to see which accounts they follow or follow.
The options are currently available to parents in the US, with plans to roll it out globally in the coming months.
The new options were previously announced in a post from Adam Mosseri late last year. In addition to announcing some of the features that were introduced at the time.
“Teens should start the supervision process through their smartphone or tablet,” Mosseri said. Adults can request supervision of a teen’s account via the mobile app or website starting in June. But teens still have to approve the application before it can be granted.
The tools are part of the Meta Family Center that is building with the goal of creating a single place where parents can supervise how their children use Meta’s various applications and technologies.
New parental controls are coming to the VR headset and the Meta platform as well. Oculus said parents will soon be able to block access to apps they don’t want their children to use. In the next few months, parents will also be able to see how much time their teen is spending using virtual reality via the Oculus app.
