NEW YORK: Instagram on Tuesday tightened content filtering for teen accounts to be in tune with PG-13 ratings standards used for films.
The move comes as Meta and other social media platforms face pressure to show they aren’t putting profit and engagement over the well being of users, especially children.
Instagram touted the content filtering enhancement as the most significant update to its Teen Accounts since they were launched in September of last year.
The result will be that teens at Instagram might see the same level of mature content found in movies with the voluntary PG-13 rating, introduced by the Motion Picture Association of America in 1984.
PG-13 ratings in US theaters warn parents when there are scenes in movies that may not be deemed suitable for chidren younger than 13 years of age.
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The rating is intended to warns parents that a film is considered slightly more intense when it comes to nudity, violence or drug use than those recommending parental guidance (PG) while viewing.
The decision to apply standards invented by the film industry for children younger than 13 years old is part of an effort to adopt “the most protective settings” for teenagers, according Capucine Tuffier, Meta head of public affairs in charge of child protection.
Cited examples of content that could trigger PG-13 ratings included drastic diets or glorification of alcohol or tobacco use.
Instagram-parent Meta will continue to use age detection technology to spot teenagers who try to evade restrictions by claiming to be adults, according to the social networking giant.
Instagram already bars shocking or sexually explicit content from teen accounts.
The update will result in posts encouraging potentially harmful behavior such as “risky challenges” to be hidden from view and dropped from recommendations, according to Instagram.
The update is rolling out in Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States, with plans to expand to more countries in coming months.
Film ratings under the scheme are determined by an independent Classification and Rating Administration board made up of parents.
People seeking more control over what their children see on Instagram will be able to choose a “restricted content” option that prevents young users from seeing, writing, or receiving comments under posts.
Starting next year, the restricted content option will be made available to throttle conversations teens can have with artificial intelligence tools, according to Meta.
California this week enacted a landmark law that requires chatbot operators to implement “critical” safeguards regarding interactions with AI chatbots.
The law comes after revelations of suicides involving teens who used chatbots prior to taking their lives.
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