Instagram’s Teen Safety Act

Meta Platforms has come a long way from the “move fast” days. Instagram’s much-ballyhooed announcement on Tuesday—aimed at protecting teens from creepy adult stalkers as well as from bombardment by overnight notifications—will surely be welcomed by many parents and perhaps politicians. But it took several years of incremental Instagram child-safety updates, multiple laws passed by various state legislatures (many of which the social media industry challenged), lawsuits and a threatened act of Congress for Meta to take this meaningful action.

Still, let’s not be churlish. Better late than never: Under the measures outlined today, Instagram is introducing “teen accounts” for… well, teens below the age of 18. These accounts will be, mostly, private by default. That means adults who aren’t connected to a teen won’t be able to message them or see what they post, and parental permission will be necessary for those under 16 to relax the settings.