Teenagers are often more adept at using social networks than their parents, but that shouldn't mean parents can't understand what their children are doing on social media.
That's why Instagram is giving parents and guardians clear advice on how to make sure their children are using the platform safely. The advice is likely also aimed at parents whose concerns have been raised by recent headlines Instagram's mental health impact.
The new guidelines come after then-parent company Facebook came under renewed scrutiny when a whistleblower leaked information reportedly showing that the company was dismissing internal concerns about the psychological harm Instagram was causing teenagers.
Instagram is now showing parents what exactly they need to do to make the platform safer for their children. Here are some of the most important settings suggested by the company.
Manage privacy
If you don't want your child's content to be visible to everyone on or off Instagram, you should check the privacy settings with your child.
There, a public account can be turned into a private one. This means that anything they post will only be shared with followers. For minors signing up for Instagram for the first time, the setting is automatically set to "private".
Block accounts
You and your child can block anyone that you or they don't want to see or be approached by on Instagram. To do this, click on the profile of the contact you want to block and then click on the three dots in the top right...
A British science journalist-turned-attorney who initiated a lawsuit that saw a Harvard University-affiliated cancer centre pay $15 million (11 million) to settle claims of alleged data misreprese...