Instagram Restriction Policy: Meta-owned platform Instagram is stepping up its efforts to safeguard younger users by introducing stringent new restrictions aimed at shielding teens from harmful content. In the recent blog post, the social media platform announced that accounts belonging to users under 18 years of age will now default to seeing content that adheres to PG-13 movie ratings.
What Is PG-13 Rating
It is part of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) film classification system, stands for “Parents Strongly Cautioned,” indicating some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Introduced on July 1, 1984, in response to concerns over violent PG-rated films like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, it serves as an intermediate warning between PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) and R (Restricted), urging parents to evaluate content before allowing preteens to view.
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The PG-13 films can include mature themes, moderate violence, brief nudity (non-sexual), sensuality, limited profanity (e.g., one strong expletive as an expletive), or drug references, but avoid extreme or persistent elements that would warrant an R rating.
Instagram New Restrictions For Teen Accounts
Instagram has also introduced a stricter content filter called Limited Content. This filter prevents teens from viewing or commenting on posts where the setting is active. The platform is also taking measures to reduce interactions with inappropriate accounts.
Teens will not be allowed to follow accounts that share age-inappropriate content. If they are already following such accounts, they will no longer be able to see or interact with their content, and the same restriction applies in reverse.
Instagram Restricts Teen Accounts
The platforms already prevent teen accounts from discovering content related to eating disorders and self-harm. The company is now adding filters to block words such as “alcohol” and “gore,” while ensuring teens cannot bypass these filters by using misspellings. These changes are being introduced in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada starting today, with a global rollout expected next year.
