Instagram safety tools and features are designed to protect young users. Here’s a detailed guide to help you understand these tools and how to use them to keep your teens safe.
Instagram has gained immense popularity as a social media platform among teenagers around the world. While it offers a fun and engaging way to connect with friends and explore interests, it isn’t always a safe space for young adults. The platform thrives on personal content and it often becomes a reason for exploitation. There have been several cases of teens getting bullied, harassed or even blackmailed using their personal content.
It is thus essential for parents to ensure their teens are using a platform like Instagram safely. If you are remotely concerned about this then it is time for you to understand more about the Instagram Safety Tools.
Understanding Instagram Safety Tools
Instagram has implemented a range of features to protect teens from inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and unwanted interactions. These tools are designed to give parents peace of mind while allowing teens to enjoy their social media experience.
Let’s explore these tools in detail.
Private Account
One of the first steps in ensuring your teen’s safety on Instagram is setting their account to private. A private account means that only people your teen approves as followers can see their posts and stories. This is a crucial step in controlling who can interact with your teen and view their content.
How to Set an Account to Private:
- Go to your teen’s profile.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down to “Who Can See Your Content” section and select “Account Privacy”
- Under “Account Privacy,” switch the “Private Account” toggle to on.
By making an account private, you help limit exposure to strangers and reduce the risk of unwanted interactions.
Why It’s Important:
A private account ensures that only trusted individuals can see what your teen shares. This means that personal information, photos, and videos are not accessible to the public, protecting your teen from potential predators and trolls.
Comment Controls
Instagram provides tools to manage and control comments on your teen’s posts. This feature allows you to filter out offensive comments or block comments from specific people.
How to Use Comment Controls:
- Go to your teen’s profile.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down to “How Others Can Interact With You Section” and select “Comments.”
- Here, you can choose to:
- Allow comments from everyone, people you follow and your followers, or just people you follow.
- Block comments from specific accounts.
- Filter offensive comments automatically or create a manual filter for specific words or phrases.
Using these controls helps create a positive and supportive environment for your teen by reducing the potential for cyberbullying and offensive comments.
Additional Tips:
Encourage your teen to review and update their comment settings regularly. They can also turn off comments for specific posts if they anticipate negative feedback or simply want to share without commentary.
Restrict
The Restrict feature is a more discreet way of protecting your teen from bullies or unwanted interactions. When you restrict someone, their comments on your teen’s posts will only be visible to them and your teen, but not to anyone else. Additionally, restricted users won’t see when your teen is active or when they’ve read their direct messages.
How to Restrict an Account:
- Go to the profile of the person you want to restrict.
- Tap on the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select “Restrict.”
This tool allows your teen to manage interactions without the other person knowing, avoiding potential conflicts.
Why Use Restrict:
Restricting is less confrontational than blocking and can be useful if your teen wants to avoid escalating a situation with a peer. It provides a way to manage interactions quietly and effectively.
Blocking
Blocking is a more direct way of preventing unwanted interactions. When your teen blocks someone, that person can no longer see their profile, posts, or stories, nor can they send direct messages.
How to Block Someone:
- Go to the profile of the person you want to block.
- Tap on the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select “Block.”
Blocking ensures that your teen is not bothered by specific individuals, providing a straightforward way to remove negative influences.
When to Block:
If someone is persistently harassing or threatening your teen, blocking them is the best course of action. It immediately cuts off all forms of interaction from the offending user.
Reporting
If your teen encounters inappropriate content, harassment, or spam, they can report it to Instagram. Reporting helps Instagram take action against accounts that violate their community guidelines.
How to Report Content or Accounts:
- For posts, tap the three dots above the post and select “Report.”
- For comments, swipe left on the comment (iOS) or tap and hold the comment (Android) and tap the exclamation mark icon.
- For direct messages, open the conversation, tap on the user’s name, and select “Report.”
Reporting helps keep Instagram a safer space for everyone by alerting the platform to harmful behavior.
Why Reporting Matters:
When inappropriate content is reported, Instagram’s moderation team can review and take necessary actions, such as removing content or banning users. Encouraging your teen to report any troubling content helps maintain a safer community for all users.
Family Center and Supervision
Instagram’s Family Center is a resource for parents to understand and manage their teen’s Instagram experience. It provides educational resources, tips, and a central hub for supervision tools. Parents can set up supervision to see how much time their teen spends on Instagram and set limits.
How to Access Family Center:
- Go to your teen’s profile.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down to “For Families” section and tap on “Supervision.”
- Once in “Supervision”, you can access Family Center and all related tools to keep your teens safe on the app.
Here, you can follow the prompts to link your account with your teen’s, allowing you to monitor and manage their activity.
Features of Family Center:
- Activity Reports: View detailed reports on your teen’s usage.
- Screen Time Limits: Set daily time limits to ensure balanced use of the app.
- Content Restrictions: Control the types of content your teen can see.
Activity Dashboard
The Activity Dashboard helps both teens and parents keep track of time spent on Instagram. This tool can help manage screen time and promote healthier social media habits.
How to Use the Activity Dashboard:
- Go to your teen’s profile.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down to “How You Use Instagram” section and Tap on “Your Activity.”
Here, you can view daily and weekly time spent on the app and set daily limits to ensure your teen is not spending excessive time on Instagram.
Encouraging Balanced Use:
Discuss with your teen the importance of balancing social media with other activities like homework, physical exercise, and family time. Use the dashboard to set realistic daily limits together.
Take a Break
Instagram’s “Take a Break” feature encourages users to take a break from the app after using it for a certain period. This feature sends reminders to step away from the screen and engage in other activities.
How to Enable Take a Break:
- Go to your teen’s profile.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down to “How You Use Instagram” section and Tap on “Your Activity.”
- Next, scroll down to “How You Use Instagram” section and tap on “Time Spent”.
- Select “Break Reminder” to schedule a reminder to take breaks from scrolling. Instagram have three options to choose from – Every 10 Minutes, Every 20 Minutes, Every 30 minutes.
This feature is useful in promoting balanced social media use and preventing overuse.
Benefits of Breaks:
Regular breaks from screens can help reduce eye strain, improve concentration, and promote better mental health. Encourage your teen to use these reminders as a cue to take a walk, read a book, or engage in a hobby.
Sensitive Content Control
This feature allows you to control the type of content your teen sees on Instagram. You can limit or filter out sensitive content that may be inappropriate or disturbing.
How to Use Sensitive Content Control:
- Go to your teen’s profile.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right corner.
- Scroll down to “What You See” section and tap on “Suggested Content.”
- Next, select “Sensitive Content” and access the Sensitive Content Control settings to set your preference.
Here, you can choose to allow more or less sensitive content, tailoring the experience to be more appropriate for your teen.
Creating a Safer Feed:
By adjusting the sensitivity settings, you can help ensure that your teen’s feed is free from content that may be harmful or distressing. This is especially important for younger teens or those who are sensitive to certain types of content.
Professional Account Tools
If your teen uses Instagram for more professional purposes, such as a business or creator account, there are additional tools available to monitor engagement and manage interactions. These include insights into audience demographics and performance metrics.
How to Switch to a Professional Account:
- Go to “Settings.”
- Tap on “Account.”
- Select “Switch to Professional Account.”
By using these tools, your teen can better manage their online presence while keeping safety in mind.
Advantages of Professional Tools:
Professional tools provide detailed analytics that can help your teen understand their audience and improve their content strategy. However, it’s important to ensure they are prepared to handle the increased visibility and interaction that comes with a professional account.
Tips for Parents
While Instagram’s safety tools are robust, parents play a crucial role in guiding their teens. Here are some tips:
- Open Communication: Talk to your teen about their online experiences and encourage them to come to you with any concerns.
- Educate Yourself: Familiarize yourself with Instagram’s features and how they work.
- Set Boundaries: Establish rules about screen time and the type of content that is acceptable.
- Be Involved: Follow your teen on Instagram to stay informed about their activity without being intrusive.
Encouraging Safe Practices:
Teach your teen about the importance of privacy settings, the risks of sharing personal information online, and how to recognize and handle cyberbullying. Being proactive and supportive can help your teen feel more confident navigating social media.
Conclusion
Instagram can be a fun and enriching platform for teens, but it’s essential to use the available safety tools to protect them from potential dangers. From setting a private account to using comment controls, reporting, and the Family Center, there are numerous ways to ensure your teen’s safety on Instagram. Open communication and active involvement are key in helping your teen navigate social media responsibly. By taking these steps, you can help your teen enjoy the benefits of Instagram while minimizing the risks.
Feature Photo by Souvik Banerjee on Unsplash