Instagram is taking a major step toward making its platform safer for young users. Beginning this fall, Teen Accounts on Instagram will be guided by PG-13 movie ratings, ensuring that the content teens see more closely matches what’s considered appropriate for that age group.
Under the new policy, all users under 18 will automatically be placed in a 13+ content setting and will need a parent’s permission to opt out. This update builds on Instagram’s existing safety measures and marks the most significant change to Teen Accounts since their launch last year.
In addition to the default PG-13 protections, parents will now have the option to enable a new “Limited Content” setting, which filters out even more mature material and limits comments and interactions. According to a recent Ipsos survey, 95 percent of U.S. parents believe these updates will help make Instagram safer, and 90 percent say the changes make it easier to understand what their teens might see on the app.
Instagram’s new guidelines hide or restrict content featuring strong language, risky stunts, or potentially harmful behaviors—such as depictions of drug use, alcohol, or explicit material. The platform will also prevent teens from following accounts that regularly share age-inappropriate content and block mature search terms, even when misspelled.
These changes were shaped with direct input from parents worldwide, who helped Instagram rate more than three million pieces of content for age appropriateness. Parents using Instagram’s supervision tools will also be able to report posts they believe should be hidden from teens.
The updated Teen Account settings are rolling out now across the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada, with global expansion expected by year’s end.
For parents, it’s a welcome update, one designed to make the digital world feel a little safer for teens.
