Instagram is introducing stricter safety measures for teenagers, aligning its “Teen Accounts” with the PG-13 movie rating standard, Meta announced on Tuesday.
The update strengthens last year’s protections, which already limited young users’ exposure to content about violence, cosmetic procedures, and self-harm.
According to a Meta blog post, the company will now restrict or hide posts that feature strong language or promote risky behavior such as dangerous stunts or drug use. Teen users will also be unable to follow or view accounts that consistently share adult material.
Meta said its AI chatbot will be refined to avoid age-inappropriate replies, noting that interactions “should not feel out of place in a PG-13 movie.”
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“Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear some strong language in a PG-13 movie, teens may occasionally see something like that on Instagram — but we’re going to keep doing all we can to keep those instances as rare as possible,” the company stated.
The update follows reports by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal that raised concerns over the chatbot’s previous interactions with young users.
The new restrictions will apply automatically to all users under 18, while parents can activate a “Limited Content” mode for stricter filtering. Instagram said the rollout began Tuesday in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, with other regions to follow in the coming months.