Instagram Rolls Out Stricter Teen Account Protections
Instagram has expanded its Teen Accounts feature with additional restrictions requiring parental approval to change.
Published: 2026-01-15
What Changed
Instagram has expanded its Teen Accounts feature, which was first introduced in 2024. Accounts belonging to users under 16 are now automatically set to private, with sensitive content filtering enabled, and notifications silenced between 10pm and 7am. The key change is that teens under 16 now need parental approval to change any of these settings, rather than being able to override them independently. Parents receive a notification if their teen requests a change.
What to Review
- •Ensure your child's Instagram account has the correct age registered.
- •Set up Family Centre on Instagram if you have not already — this is required to receive change requests from your teen.
- •Review the sensitive content control settings to ensure they are set to the most restrictive level.
Parent Actions
- 1Set up Instagram Family Centre by going to Settings > Family Centre and following the pairing process with your teen's account.
- 2Check that your teen's account is set to Private (Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy).
- 3Review and approve or deny any pending setting change requests from your teen.
Full app guide
View the complete Instagram safety guide
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
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Last reviewed: 2026-03-15