New content settings for teen accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger launched globally

Last October, Instagram updated its teen accounts in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, setting a default 13+ content filter. Drawn from movie rating standards and parental input, this filter ensures teens view age-suitable content by default. Since its introduction, 90% of teens have retained this setting. Additionally, a more stringent option, ‘Limited Content,’ was introduced for parents who seek a heightened level of restriction for their teens.

Today, an update on these efforts is being shared, with a focus on preventing teens from repeatedly encountering specific types of content.

Expanding content settings globally

Our 13+ content settings are now being rolled out worldwide to teen accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. Facebook’s new 13+ setting is aimed at concealing inappropriate content from teens in areas like Feed and Reels and limiting their interaction with Profiles, Pages, Groups, and Events that feature such content. On Messenger, this setting restricts teens from accessing links to inappropriate Facebook content or chatting with accounts sharing such content. The ‘Limited Content’ setting will also be available on Facebook and Messenger later this year.

As these settings expand globally, we’ve also engaged parents worldwide to evaluate Facebook and Instagram’s content for teen suitability. Feedback from hundreds of thousands of parents, who have rated over 15 million pieces of content, shows that in a recent survey conducted in April across the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, fewer than 2% of posts were viewed as inappropriate for teens by the majority of parents.

Preventing repetition of certain content types

We are exploring ways to ensure teens have positive and age-appropriate experiences. While some content, such as posts on nutrition or dealing with anxiety, can be beneficial, it should not dominate what teens see. Therefore, we are testing measures to limit the exposure of such posts in Explore, Feed, and Reels.

External assessment of content settings

To ensure our content settings provide the intended experience for teens, we enlisted Alice (formerly ActiveFence), an online safety expert group, to evaluate and perform stress tests. Alice compared Instagram’s settings with those of a leading competitor and movies rated 13+. Their analysis showed:

• Teens in Instagram’s 13+ default setting encountered 68% less mature content compared to the competitor.
• The ‘Limited Content’ setting offered further protection, reducing mature content exposure by 96%.
• When mature content was seen, it was less intense than that found on the competitor’s platform and in 13+ rated movies.
• Instagram more frequently blocked mature search terms than the competitor.

Instagram’s default settings and limitations on selecting more content without parental consent were confirmed effective. Areas for improvement identified by Alice were swiftly addressed, enhancing detection signals to capture exceptions.

In rare cases where mature content appeared, such as ‘risky stunts’ or ‘viral challenges,’ we identified and restricted new trends like ‘car surfing,’ similar to pre-existing restrictions on ‘subway surfing.’

Encouraged by these results, we remain committed to continuously improving our systems. More information on Alice’s findings and methods is available. It is important to note the differences between social media and movies; we did not collaborate with the MPA in updating these settings, nor do they endorse our content settings. Our moderation systems differ from a movie ratings board, which may create a different experience for users.