Instagram parents to guard teen feed, followers

Australian parents will be able to cast a close eye over their child’s Instagram account under new rules being rolled out by Meta.

Annie Campbell, 46, from Bowral, with her son, Tom, 12. Two of Ms Campbell’s sons have agreed to her supervising their Instagram activity, but her youngest, Tom, said no. Picture: Supplied

Australian parents will be able to cast a close eye over their child’s Instagram account, seeing who they follow, who follows them back and the accounts they report, under new updates being rolled out by Meta.

The move arrives several months after Facebook’s parent company announced it was pausing the development of an Instagram for kids which was designed for users under the age of 13.

Australian parents from today, if their teen approves, will receive notifications when an account follows their child, when their child follows another account and when their child reports an account. They will also be able to see how much time their children spend on the app and to introduce time limits.

Facebook ANZ policy director Mia Garlick said Meta does “recognise” its responsibility to protect young users on its social media platforms.

“Our intention for these resources is to strike the right balance for young people’s desire for some autonomy when using Instagram, but also allows for supervision in a way that supports conversations between parents and young people when it is helpful,” she said.

Meta’s invitation page for parents.

An example of a noticiation a parent would receive from Instagram about their child.

“Their safety is of paramount importance to us, and we want them to have an experience that is both fun and safe, and we want to support their parents to assist them in doing this.”

The roll out of the new supervision tools, which US parents began using in March, arrives as ReachOut reported that 36 per cent of Australian parents felt helpless when it came to keeping their children safe online. A further 32 per cent were unsure what safety controls are available.

Curtin University professor of internet studies Tama Leaver, who monitored the rollout in the US, criticised the move, saying it formed part of a larger PR stunt.

“Instagram and Meta are doing a big sort of PR spin about how they’re good for children and young people. Obviously, the parent controls form some part of that narrative,” he said.

‘Instagram and Meta are doing a big sort of PR spin about how they're good for children and young people': Curtin University professor Tama Leaver. Picture: Supplied

“We have to be honest, it’s an incredibly basic tool that relies 100 per cent on a child who enters their date of birth correctly, requesting that their parent supervise them.”

Mr Leaver said Meta might be “testing the water” in a bid to later repursue Instagram kids.

“What they will do is say, ‘we’ve provided tools and we can see that actually people aren’t that interested’,” he said. “I think there is a whole sort of case being built for why an Instagram specifically for younger people, or for kids, is not a bad thing because parents don’t actually put the time in or something of that nature … I can see it being deployed in narratives and sort of PR terms.”

While parents will need an Instagram account to access the new tools, Meta is developing a central “family centre” platform in which parents will be able to supervise their child’s activity across all Meta-owned platforms.

Annie Campbell, 46, a mother of four from Bowral is looking forward to using the new supervision tools. Her teen sons Will, 15, and Andrew, 13, have agreed to let her watch over their accounts but her youngest son, Tom, 12, said now.

“He said, ‘No other kid in his year let their parents follow them’,” she said.

“Two don’t care and one is highly opposed. Tom is more concerned that he’d be the only one in his class whose parent was using it,” she said.

“I think it’s a good step in the right direction. The next step that could be done is to mandate it so there’s a lot more engagement by parents.”