FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Instagram’s new age restrictions have gone into effect, and law enforcement says the features could help prevent internet crimes against children.
The move comes after Meta announced new ‘ Instagram teen accounts ‘ for those under 18 on Tuesday. With the new restricted teen account, sensitive content such as violence or those promoting an unhealthy body image will be limited.
“It definitely will help us,” Detective Fernando Rosario from Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said.
New accounts, made by minors, will automatically be private; those with existing accounts will become private within the next 60 days.
Rosario said these accounts will also limit direct messaging – now, teens can only receive messages from those they follow.
“The predators that are seeking teens will not be able to just message anybody,” Rosario said.
From 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., all notifications will be silenced, and if someone sends a message during this time, “it will automatically send a reply pretty much saying that it’s on a sleep mode.”