The social media platform Instagram is very popular with children and young people. This raises the question of how young users can be well supported and protected on the social network. Instagram therefore offers various settings for young people to enable greater safety. We present the most important functions.
Why are the security settings necessary?
On social networks such as Instagram, young people can come across inappropriate content such as erotic images, dangerous challenges, disinformation, extremist content or advertising. Dealing with issues such as cyberbullying, problematic contacts or the unwanted dissemination of their own data and posts can be challenging. Because young people are often still learning how to deal with such risks, they need special protection. This is why platforms have been legally obliged to provide protective measures for minors as well as guidance and settings options for parents since the amendment of the Youth Protection Act.
Setting options in the Teen account
For young people aged 13 to 17, a teen account is created by default when they register with Instagram. Such an account is characterized by the following points, among others:
- Private account: Teen accounts are automatically set to “private” so that only confirmed followers can see posts, stories or reels.
- Strict content filters: If a teen account is activated, sensitive content or content unsuitable for children and young people on Instagram is more restricted and rarely recommended. Instagram is also guided by the US “13+” rating, as Meta is based in the USA. Children and young people can report and block inappropriate content.
- Message restrictions: Teenagers can only receive messages from people they follow. Chats as well as tags and mentions can be restricted. Accounts and people can be blocked.
- Time limit: Users receive a notification after 60 minutes of use. Sleep mode is activated at night and mutes notifications.
About the parental supervision parents can link their children’s accounts with their own and monitor and restrict their use, e.g. set time limits or make security settings. Parents are informed about their children’s activities here – for example, how long they have been active on the network, what contacts have taken place or whether content has been reported or blocked. If you do not use parental control, If young people between the ages of 13 and 15 use Instagram without parental control, the strictest security settings automatically apply to their teen account. Young people aged 16 and over can relax the security settings of their teen account themselves without parental supervision.
Further security settings for Instagram
The settings in the teen accounts relate exclusively to how the account itself is set up on the platform. In addition, there are general security measures that you should implement together with your child:
- Adjust the app permissions on the smartphone together with your child. For young users, for example, it makes sense to restrict access to location, contacts and camera.
- Meta integrates AI functions into Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram and would like to use usage data to train this AI. You can object to this in order to protect your child’s data.
- If your child already has a Facebook account, Instagram offers “cross-posting” – i.e. posting content on both platforms. You can switch this off in the app to prevent unwanted distribution of content.
- From May 8, 2026, Instagram will no longer offer the option of protecting chats with end-to-end encryption. Advise your child to share private messages via encrypted messengers such as WhatsApp or Signal.
You can find a step-by-step guide to parental controls on Instagram at medien-kindersicher.de. Instagram offers a guide for parents with conversation starters and a glossary of important terms.
What do parents need to keep in mind?
Safety settings, teen account and parental supervision create an important basis for more protection on Instagram. The following points are also important to help your child use Instagram safely:
- Set up an account together: If your child is older when you log in, the security settings will not work. It is best to log in together.
- Trust and dialog: Control doesn’t feel good for young people. It is better to build a relationship of trust. Talk to your child about what they do on Instagram. Be open and interested! At klicksafe you will find ideas for starting the conversation. If you as a parent gain insight into your child’s Instagram usage, make sure you do not violate your child’s privacy – because young people also have a right to this. If your child sets their account to private and does not accept you as a follower, you will no longer be able to see their posts.
- Don’t rely on filters: Instagram uses AI systems to classify content as problematic. However, these filters never work 100 percent – and users always find ways to bypass the filters. Help your child to recognize and deal with problematic content. Show your child which settings make the platform safer to use.
- Risk education: Inform your child about possible dangers and talk to them about topics such as harmful content, hate speech, disinformation, manipulative content for political opinion making, war videos or fake videos. You should also discuss communication risks ranging from cyberbullying to cybergrooming.
- Support: Parental supervision can be a good way to support your child during their first time with the app. Adjust the settings to your child’s stage of development.
- Media time: Make sure you use media for an appropriate amount of time and keep an eye on your child’s screen time.
Instagram offers families support with safe use. However, it remains crucial that you talk to your child regularly about safety, well-being and potential risks on social media and that you are available to answer questions and problems. This will help your child develop confidence and skills in dealing with media.
