Instagram will introduce new tools in March to let parents see how much time their kids spend on the photo-sharing app.
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Instagram will introduce new tools in March to let parents see how much time their kids spend on the photo-sharing app.
Instagram is rolling out a new set of safety features aimed at its youngest users and their parents, a day before the photo-sharing app’s head testifies to Congress about the platform’s potential risks to kids and teens.
They include tools to help users manage how much time they spend on the app, limits on both unwanted interactions with adults and exposure to sensitive content, and optional parental oversight of children’s accounts.
Instagram, which is owned by Meta (formerly Facebook), has come under intense scrutiny since a whistleblower disclosed internal research showing the app can harm users, including by exacerbating body image issues and other mental health concerns for some teenage girls. A bipartisan group of state attorneys general is investigating the company, and lawmakers are holding hearings about child safety on social media.
On Wednesday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri will testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security. He’s expected to be grilled on what Instagram knows about its potential harm to young users and what the company is doing…