Instagram will make all minors’ accounts private in 2025: is it enough to protect them?

However, even though the idea of ​​Instagram looks fantastic on paper, according to experts, it’s not enough. «The measures that Instagram has just announced remain a dead letter if there is no effective age verification system that guarantees that the person is the age they say they are,” explains Ferran Lalueza, professor of Information and Communication Sciences Studies at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). It must be taken into account that precisely Spain is the country where Instagram first began to be used. 65% of children between 13 and 15 years old already access this social network, according to data from Qustodio 2024.

Furthermore, Silvia Martínez, professor of the Information and Communication Sciences Studies at the UOC, explains that another complication is that users They can provide false information. «In fact minors can easily cheat the system and lie about your age. In this way they can be exposed to certain content that is not appropriate for them and without the protection offered by certain measures or filters,” warns Martínez.

This lack of protection is a fundamental problem that affects other areas, such as minors’ access to pornography. Even so, Meta states that will verify the date of birth that occurs, contrasting it with other spaces, it also warns that to change the configurations the permission of a parent or guardian will be required.

Private accounts, the end of the problems?

With restricted accounts, Instagram will make it necessary to accept requests for new followers from the minor so that they can see their content and interact with them. Currently, if the minor has an open profile, they can receive requests, comments or private messages from any user and, in many cases, they receive erotic or pornographic content. This is stated in a Unicef ​​study that warns that 42% of adolescents had received messages of erotic or sexual content through the networks. «Bullyers don’t always show their faces. They often use fake identities and therefore this fake identity can allow the adolescent to include them within this circle of trust and they can exert their toxic influence,” says Lalueza.

Another problem is that in many cases minors have different profiles. In fact, it is estimated that two out of three adolescents have more than one profile on the same networkwhich they use selectively for family and acquaintances or for the peer group. “Many times the teenager does not identify himself as a teenager in all of his accounts, because it is typical for them to have more than one and not all of them are supervised by their parents,” he adds. Instagram will also modify tagging and mentions in photos and videos. These options will only be valid for people who follow them and have their approval.

The most harmful to your mental health

Among other new measures, the application will send a notification to the minor when you have exceeded 60 minutes of connection. «Let’s not lose sight of the fact that it is only a warning, and, therefore, if the teenager is really hooked on the Internet, as is quite common, unfortunately, it will surely not have any effectiveness and he will continue surfing the Internet and connecting and consuming contents beyond the marked time,” explains Lalueza. According to Qustodio data, Instagram is the second social network (after TikTok) most used by Spanish minorswith 71 minutes a day, 27% more than in 2022.

Meta has implemented more restrictive settings that limit access to sensitive content, such as violence or messages that could negatively affect self-esteem. The company has presented it as an “anti-bullying” toolas highlighted in a statement. This functionality applies to both regular posts and reels, as well as the main wall and the Explore section. In addition, offensive terms and phrases can be blocked in comments and direct message requests through the option «Restricted words». According to an RSPH study, Instagram is the worst social network for young people’s mental health, with a highest negative average score, followed by Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which is the only one rated with a positive average score.

Experts point to the need for authorities and public powers to make an important and global effort to have a regulation that is really effective and that forces social networks, beyond the gallery-facing movements or more or less voluntarist actions, to deal with the protection of minors. “Media education must be promoted: both parents and guardians and minors must know and understand the risks and tools available to have the safest possible navigation and experience on social networks,” concludes Martínez. .