Have you heard how Instagram is trying to make its app safer for teens?
- It will automatically label accounts of minors as “teen accounts” and block people who don’t follow those accounts from sliding into their DMs.
- It will also turn off notifications for these accounts between 10p-7am
- Instagram will now send “time limit reminders” urging teens to close the app after 60 minutes/day
- Parents will be able to view the accounts that the teen has interacted with as well.
Many are doubting the sincerity of these changes, claiming they exist to get congress and potential legislation off Meta’s back.
I have different concerns, though. Mainly that these changes do nothing.
- Anybody can change their age on an app. Easy-peezy.
- Teens can follow ANY account which will enable that account to interact with them.
- Still want notifications at night? Just change the time zone on your phone. Problem solved.
- Sixty minutes a day doesn’t account for time on YT, Snap, TikTok or FB.
- This assumes parents are tech-savvy or even involved. Many are neither.
I guess this is a good start but it still smells like lip service to me. This attempt at goodwill has way too many loopholes.