Instagram to introduce PG-13-style controls to protect teen users, says Meta

"Instagram is introducing a PG-13-style content rating system to give parents greater control over what teenagers see on the platform, Meta has announced. The change marks one of the company's most sweeping efforts yet to align social-media content moderation with the kind of age guidance familiar from the cinema. All users under 18 will automatically be placed into a "13+" setting modelled on the US parental guidance film rating. Teens will only be able to opt out with explicit parental consent."

"Instagram already restricts sexually suggestive, graphic, or adult content such as tobacco or alcohol promotion on teen accounts. The new settings go further, tightening filters around strong language, risky stunts, and imagery linked to harmful behaviours, including posts featuring marijuana or drug paraphernalia. Search results will also be restricted more aggressively. Keywords such as "alcohol" or "gore" - and even common misspellings - will be blocked under the new moderation system. The approach has been designed to resemble the UK's 12A cinema classification. Just as films such as Titanic or The Fast and the Furious may feature fleeting nudity or moderate violence but remain accessible to teenagers, the new Instagram rules will not prohibit all instances of partial nudity or stylised aggression."

Instagram is introducing a PG-13-style content rating system to give parents greater control over what teenagers see on the platform. All users under 18 will be automatically placed into a 13+ setting modelled on the US parental guidance film rating and can opt out only with explicit parental consent. The 13+ setting restricts sexually suggestive, graphic, or adult content and tightens filters around strong language, risky stunts, and imagery linked to harmful behaviours such as marijuana or drug paraphernalia. Search results will be more aggressively restricted, blocking keywords like "alcohol" or "gore" and common misspellings. The settings resemble the UK's 12A cinema classification and will not ban all instances of partial nudity or stylised aggression.

Read at Business Matters