Instagram’s Teen Account Feature

Instagram has long been a focal point in discussions surrounding social media’s impact on teenagers’ mental health, despite hesitations around regulating user’s activity on social media apps. In response to mounting concerns about mental health, exploitation, and misinformation, Instagram introduced its teen account feature to create a safer space for younger users. These accounts come with built-in privacy settings, content restrictions, and other safeguards designed to limit exposure to harmful content and protect teens from inappropriate interactions. However, while these changes represent progress, the platform’s design and algorithms continue to raise concerns about its overall impact on teen mental health, particularly with issues like body image, anxiety, and depression1. 

 

Understanding Instagram’s Teen Account Feature

Automatic Privacy for New Accounts: One of the key features of teen accounts is the automatic setting of profiles to private. When users under the age of 18 create an account, their profiles are automatically private, meaning that only approved followers, that the user has accepted follow requests from, can view their posts. This step was implemented to protect teens from being exposed to unwanted attention from strangers or predators online, since grooming has become one significant concern social media platforms face2. 

Restricted Interactions Between Teens and Adults: Instagram’s teen accounts limit how adults can interact with teens. For example, adults who don’t already follow a teen’s account cannot send them direct messages. This measure was designed to prevent adults from engaging in predatory behavior and inappropriate communication with minors3. In addition to blocking direct messages, the app has an existing feature to blur any explicit images or videos that might be sent to a minor. The platform also sends safety notices to teens when they are followed or messaged by adults who have exhibited suspicious behavior, such as having large numbers of teen followers without apparent connections3. 

Enhanced Content Filters: Instagram provides teens with options to manage the type of content they see. The “Sensitive Content Control” feature allows users to decide how much potentially harmful or triggering material appears in their feeds. By reducing the exposure to content related to self-harm, violence, extreme dieting, or unrealistic beauty standards, this tool aims to mitigate the negative impact Instagram can have on mental health2. However, researchers have pointed out that this feature is not foolproof, as Instagram’s algorithm continues to prioritize high-engagement content, which often includes unrealistic body images and hyper-idealized lifestyles4. For example, trends around influencers filming “What I Eat in a Day” videos, that are often accompanied with body checking, tend to be extremely popular and frequently shared. Since this may not be immediately recognized as sensitive content promoting extreme dieting, the current algorithm may continue to advance the popularity of these posts with high viewership.

Age Verification Measures: Instagram has also increased efforts to verify the ages of users, as many younger children lie about their age to access the platform. Instagram uses artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition technology to flag accounts where 

age might have been falsified. Users are prompted to upload identification to verify their real age, ensuring that features restricted to adults are not accessible to underage users3. While this addresses a significant pitfall in restriction measures to protect minors, it introduces a new privacy concern where person identification and facial recognition data may be stored by the platform. 

Parental Controls and Supervision: Instagram has introduced parental supervision tools that allow guardians to monitor their teens’ activity. These tools give parents the ability to see how much time their teens are spending on the platform, set time limits, and receive updates on account activity. This helps parents foster healthier social media 

habits for their teens and open conversations about online behavior, although these options are not required to be used for teen accounts2,3. 

Persistent Mental Health Risks

Despite these protections, many experts argue that Instagram still poses significant risks to teen mental health. The platform’s fundamental design—centered around visual content, likes, comments, and followers—continues to promote comparison culture, which has a damaging impact on teens’ self-esteem and body image4. Instagram is notorious for displaying a curated, highly-filtered reality where influencers, celebrities, and even peers post highlight reels of their “best selves” while building a brand centered on authenticity and realness. Teens, who are still forming their identities, are especially vulnerable to the effects of these comparisons, which often lead to feelings of inadequacy, depression, and anxiety if their authentic selves and unique realities seem distant from the standards they see. 

A report by Yale Medicine notes that Instagram’s algorithm is built to promote whatever content a user interacts with, which can be problematic for teens seeking mental health information. If a teen searches for content related to depression or eating disorders, the algorithm will present more of this type of content on Explore pages and suggested content, potentially creating an echo chamber that reinforces harmful thoughts and behaviors when viewing content in excess3. 

Research has also highlighted that exposure to idealized body images,common on Instagram, can contribute to the development of eating disorders, especially in teen girls. Many times fitness influencers, who may not be directly promoting unhealthy diet habits or excessive exercise, still use photo-editing to change how their bodies look in photos. This further perpetuates unattainable ideals around health5. 

Further, one study published in a global public health journal reviewed social media usage across 17 countries and found that exposure to lofty beauty standards was closely linked to

body dissatisfaction and eating disorders internationally, a particular issue for girls on Instagram6. The constant cycle of comparison, self-critique, and the need for social validation through likes and comments often leads to mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation. 

Instagram can also exacerbate the impact of cyberbullying, which is particularly damaging during adolescence. The platform allows for instant and widespread communication, meaning that hurtful comments or exclusionary behavior can reach a large audience quickly. The “private” nature of digital communication can also buffer a sense of accountability for extreme or disrespectful rhetoric, since there is a perceived distance between someone’s message and its impact on the recipient7. This can be balanced with the arguments that social media is an outlet for social connections and community-building, especially for those who may not be able to access that in their local communities. However, the public nature of online exchanges often makes the emotional fallout from online bullying even more profound, contributing to feelings of isolation and worthlessness. This can also be the case for the fallout of online friendships. 

Social Media Addiction and Sleep Disruption

Social media addiction is another growing concern. Instagram is highly interactive, with features such as stories, reels, and the explore page designed to keep users engaged. This continuous stream of content can overstimulate the brain’s reward pathways, much like other addictive behaviors. Teens often report feeling compelled to constantly check their phones, leading to unhealthy screen time habits8. The new teen account feature, while adjusting the type of content and interactions users may have, ignores the amount of time teens spend on social media, which has its own mental and physical health burden. Excessive use of Instagram has been associated with sleep disruption and sedentary lifestyles, which further exacerbates chronic disease risk and mental health issues like depression and anxiety3. 

Lack of sleep is particularly harmful for teens, whose developing brains rely on proper rest. Studies show that teens who stay up late scrolling through Instagram are more likely to experience mood swings, irritability, and difficulty concentrating during the day. For those with existing mental health issues, a lack of sleep can be a concerning risk factor for manic episodes and exacerbated psychotic symptoms9. 

Limitations of Instagram’s Teen Account Feature

While Instagram’s teen account feature is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t fully address the platform’s broader mental health risks. The American Psychological Association suggests that simply adding privacy settings or content filters won’t solve the deep-rooted issues posed by social media, particularly Instagram, which is highly visual, stimulates dopaminergic rewards pathways, and often promotes perfectionism10.

Many experts argue that more proactive steps are needed, such as changes in how Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes content, fewer workarounds to time limits, and more robust educational resources for teens on managing their mental health online4. 

Another limitation to the approach Instagram has rolled out is the ability to opt out of the automatic private account setting for teens over sixteen. Even teens under sixteen can opt out of this stipulation with the help of a parent or guardian1. These exceptions to rules that are in place to protect teens undercut the purpose of these regulations. Companies like Meta can then make the claim of protecting users, despite the loose enforcement of these efforts. 

Additionally, the pressure to achieve social validation through likes, comments, and follower counts remains a central feature of Instagram, even for users with teen accounts. Until this fundamental, addictive aspect of the platform changes, it will likely continue to contribute to the rising rates of anxiety and depression among teenagers. 

Conclusion

Instagram’s teen account feature offers some much-needed safety measures, including privacy settings, interaction restrictions, and content filters. These features aim to protect teens from harmful content and predatory interactions. However, the platform’s underlying issues—such as the pressure to compare oneself to others, the addictive nature of its algorithm, and the exposure to unrealistic beauty standards—still pose significant risks to mental health. Teens and parents should be aware of and openly discuss both the benefits and limitations of Instagram’s teen account feature, using available tools to navigate the platform responsibly while staying mindful of its impact on emotional well-being. Ultimately, while Instagram’s efforts signal progress, broader changes are necessary to mitigate the platform’s detrimental, often life-threatening, burdens on teen mental health.