Instagram's under-18 setting: Content viewing is restricted

In a written statement, the US-based technology company Meta provided information about new measures introduced to control the content that young Instagram users are exposed to. The statement said, "We are announcing that the default settings of accounts used by young people on Instagram will now be determined by '13 and over' movie ratings. This means that young people will see content similar to content in movies for ages 13 and over on Instagram." The statement indicated that the new regulation will be applied as an automatic setting to the accounts of users under the age of 18 in all countries by the end of the year, and that adult content will only be presented to the user with parental permission. The statement noted that in addition to content that is currently hidden from young users, such as disturbing, sexually themed, alcohol and tobacco-related content, under the new regulation, posts that contain slang expressions, dangerous movements, and certain harmful and addictive substances will not be shown or recommended to users under the age of 18.

The statement also emphasized that young users will not be able to follow accounts that share such content, search for words related to such content, or open messages containing such content, and pointed out that the company took this step in light of the opinions of thousands of parents around the world.

Instagram's new decision comes as the ban on social media for children in Australia is gaining global support.

A law in Australia banning children under 16 from accessing social media will come into effect on December 10, and global social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram, and X will face fines of up to $33 million if they do not comply with the law. Following Australia's steps, the issue has once again entered the global agenda, with many countries, including Italy, Spain, some US states, and South Korea, working on similar bills.