Tools That Keep Your Teens Safe On Instagram

Quick question: Which is your favourite social media app, and why is it Instagram?!

When we did the “KSP Digital Usage Survey Of The Indian Moms” survey, Instagram came out as the clear winner when asked what is your favourite app to use, as a parent. And no prizes for guessing, Instagram remains the favourite app for our teens today as well.

Between enjoying the platform together, and collaboratively, using it to build communities, make connections etc, there exists some concerns in every parent’s mind, like:

📱 If their teen is following the right people. If their followers are genuine.
📱If they spend too much time on the app, especially during exam days
📱If their focus takes a hit, due to incessantly checking their phone
If the content they view is suitable for their age.
And lots more.

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The 3 New Tools Launched By Meta:

Quiet Mode:

To help and support today’s teens focus on the tasks at hand and not give in to distractions. Comes in handy when they need to give their 100% focus on what they are doing, especially during exam times.

Daily Limit:

A time-management tool that lets the user know they have reached their daily limit. Comes in super handy during exam times.

Take A Break:

Helps teens (and parents) reflect and reassess their time spent on the app, with a timely reminder. Helps them reassess their priorities and to-dos.

Instagram’s recent addition to their existing Parental Supervision Tools has made sure the platform is listening to parents’ concerns and doing its bit to keep our teens safe. Here is a throwback to the Parental Supervision Tools we told you earlier about:

Here’s A Look At The New Safety Features Launched For Instagram

1.”Where Did All The Time Go?”

Are you worried your child spends a large chunk of their time scrolling and “liking” other’s content? With the new Parental Supervision Tools, you can view how much time your teens spend on Instagram and set time limits.

2. Be The One Who Knows It First When They Are In Trouble

Today’s generation of teens is smart to identify if there is trouble brewing in their interactions online. With the new tools, be notified immediately when your teen shares that they have reported someone/some account. They seek your guidance and comfort- so be prepared to give them that.

3. Follows & Followers- Are They All Genuine?

For some, the number of followers matters a lot. It’s kind of a make-or-break deal and gives them a feeling of one-upmanship among their peers. But are numbers everything? What about the quality of people you/your child gets in touch with? The new tool thankfully lets you view and receive updates on what accounts your teens follow and the accounts that follow your teens.

That’s not all! There are a host of other things and privacy settings options that we are unfamiliar with sometimes. Just make sure you enable these features on your child’s account and also brief them on why it is imperative they stay safe, amidst the unfamiliar virtual world that has its plusses and minuses.

We also did a webinar on this recently with Mansi Zaveri, CEO & Founder– Kidsstoppress.com moderating a panel discussion that included Actor Karisma Kapoor, Natasha Jog, Head- Public Policy, Instagram India, and Shakshi Shetty, Gen Z Creator & Gamer. They spoke on the different tools available, how the platform is open to the concerns that parents, as well as teens, have today, and how we could collaboratively use the platform to empower today’s teens.