The Instagram app has announced the testing of a new feature aimed at protecting and improving the mood of its younger users by asking them to answer a question about their age and provide proof of its accuracy. According to social media expert Mohammed Al-Harithi, the aim of determining users' ages is to limit attempts by users under the age of 18 from accessing browsing features that the platform only makes available to adults.
Al-Harithi adds that Instagram has recently prioritized handling issues related to children and minors, evident in the new features that have been introduced or are planned for launch. When this new feature is officially released, users will be required to respond to an age-related question. The platform will use facial recognition technology to verify users' features and confirm their age, while also providing alternative options for those who refuse this measure.
According to Instagram, these alternatives include uploading a personal identification card image or using three friends to attest to the user's real age. Instagram will delete all data immediately after verification to protect users' information security.
Among the recent features launched by Instagram to protect younger users is one that allows parents and guardians to directly supervise their minor children's activities on the platform, reducing their exposure to content that could harm their mental health due to its inappropriateness for their age.
With this feature, parents can send requests to teenagers, offering to monitor their accounts, and the feature becomes active once the minors accept the request. This new tool allows parents to set daily usage time for children from 15 minutes to two hours and to view the list of people their children follow and who follows them.
These features came in response to recent criticisms faced by the network, which is part of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, regarding the harmful effects on younger users. Al-Harithi recalls the leaks revealed by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen in 2021, which indicated that Facebook's managers were aware of some risks faced by underage users.
Al-Harithi specifically mentions documents addressing the mental health of girls who are influenced by ideal body images through the flood of images displayed on Instagram. A study conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK in 2017 assessed the mood of 1,500 young people aged between 11 to 25 while using the five most popular social media sites. The study concluded that Instagram was among the most likely to inspire feelings of disturbance and anxiety, with seven out of ten people reporting that the app made them feel troubled about their body image. Additionally, half of the respondents aged 14 to 24 said that Instagram increased their anxiety levels.
Thus, Al-Harithi hopes that the new feature, along with other parental control tools, will improve the mental health and well-being of child and minor users.
