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Instagram tightens teen safety with PG-13 default setting, adds stricter parental controls
Instagram has introduced a PG-13 content filter for all users under 18, automatically limiting exposure to explicit or harmful material. The move, part of Meta’s broader teen safety push, restricts mature themes, AI-generated content, and sensitive searches. Parents can add stricter “Limited Content” controls, while new AI tools block inappropriate accounts.
Modeled on the Motion Picture Association’s PG-13 rating system, the filter will restrict posts featuring strong language, risky stunts, drug use, alcohol, or adult themes.
In its latest effort to protect young users online, Instagram has rolled out a new PG-13 content filter for all accounts belonging to users under 18. The update, announced by parent company Meta, automatically limits exposure to explicit, violent or age-inappropriate content, marking one of the company’s most significant safety measures yet for teens.
The move comes amid mounting criticism and legal scrutiny over the mental health impact of social media platforms on minors. Modeled on the Motion Picture Association’s PG-13 rating system, the filter will restrict posts featuring strong language, risky stunts, drug use, alcohol, or adult themes.
The same standards will apply to Meta’s generative AI tools, ensuring that AI-generated content adheres to teen safety guidelines.
Meta said teens cannot opt out of the filter without parental approval. Parents, however, can choose to add extra restrictions through a "Limited Content” setting, which blocks additional sensitive content, disables commenting, and restricts certain AI interactions. The company said 96% of parents surveyed by Ipsos supported having this option, even if they didn’t plan to use it immediately.
Meta’s AI moderation systems have also been strengthened to identify and block inappropriate content more effectively. Teen accounts will be prevented from following or interacting with flagged profiles, and search results for sensitive topics such as “alcohol” or “gore”, will be hidden, even if misspelled.
The update follows years of criticism from advocacy groups and hundreds of lawsuits accusing Meta, ByteDance’s TikTok and YouTube of creating addictive products that harm children’s mental health. U.S. regulators have also intensified scrutiny of AI chatbots for enabling inappropriate interactions with minors.
Meta said the new PG-13 settings are being rolled out in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada, with a global launch expected by year-end. “We hope this update reassures parents,” the company said, adding that age prediction technology will help prevent teens from bypassing restrictions.
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