48 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JANUARY 2022
INSTAGRAM PARENTAL CONTROLS
WHAT TO KNOW
BY DONNA DUARTE-LADD
Social media may be a thorny topic
between parents and kids who communicate
with their peers via the latest
social apps. Getting kids off these said
apps isn’t easy, not to mention mental
health and cyberbullying concerns.
To mitigate these issues, recently Instagram
introduced new features and
parental controls that focus on teenagers
and their safety as Instagram users.
“It’s not only important to me that people
feel safe on our platform – but
that they feel good about the time they
spend on Instagram,” Adam Mosseri, a
New York-based father of three boys
and head of Instagram, shared on
Twitter.
Here are some critical takeaways about
these new features, including the new
Parental Controls coming in March that
will be part of the social app soon.
TAKE A BREAK
The Instagram version of a time-out? Kinda.
While this is not limited to teens, it is a feature
perfect for them. The “Take a Break”
encourages users to pull back or, as the kids
say, “chill.” It will be built into Instagram’s
already existing Daily Limit. By selecting
Take a Break, users will be reminded that
they have reached the time they set for the
day. They can also mute notifi cations to
not be bothered for the day and set notifi -
cations with time limits. This is great for
teens, for as much as they complain about
what they cannot do, structure and rules
are built into kids’ lives at home and school,
right? So why shouldn’t it be part of their
daily social media usage?
NO MORE TAGGING
Instagram will not be allowing tags
on teens if that person is not following
them. So this helps teens in multiple
ways. It gives them control over who
shares on their social imprint. No
more embarrassing pics that great
Aunt Mary took of them mid-bite at
the holiday table; yup, many kids don’t
always follow back all family members,
but that is another post for another time.
YOUR ACTIVITY
Much like a digital dashboard on a blog, Instagram
will move likes, comments, photos,
and videos into one spot so you, the user,
can be in control of your digital footprint.
PARENTAL CONTROLS
Instagram is working with the first
version of parental controls with a goal
of March 2022 in mind. These parental
controls will allow parents to see how
much time their child is spending on
Instagram and set time limits. It will also
allow teens to share any handles they
report on Instagram with their parents.
EDUCATION HUB FOR
PARENTS
To help parents, caregivers, and guardians
navigate their kids’ usage in this
social media world, Instagram will be
sharing educational resources, expert
tips, and tutorials on kids and their social
media experience in what they’re
calling their Education Hub.
This article fi rst appeared in New York
Family.
PARENTING TIPS
Instagram is working with the first version of parental controls with a goal
of March 2022 in mind. (Getty Images)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM