"In the replies to its announcement on X, users are overwhelmingly pushing back against the idea that such a feature should be age-gated, noting that adult users also want to customize their home screens. Some accused Instagram of chasing Snapchat with the feature. (On Snapchat, users need a paid Snapchat+ subscription to change the app's icon.) Others said it gave them "MySpace vibes.""
"Instagram's teen accounts, launched in 2024, add additional restrictions and built-in protections for minors, including limits on content to PG-13 material. The company earlier this year began using AI technology to identify teens who lied about their age on the social network and enroll them in the more restricted teen accounts. With custom icons, the company is trying a different approach: using a carrot instead of a stick, so to speak, to make the teen accounts seem more appealing."
Instagram introduced custom app icons available only to teen accounts, letting teens swap the traditional logo for variations like neon, clear glass, fire, flowers, and green slime. The option is accessed by tapping the Instagram logo at the top of the home feed. The age-restricted launch generated backlash from adult users who want the same customization and compared the feature to Snapchat or MySpace. Instagram created teen accounts in 2024 with added protections and PG-13 content limits, and it has used AI to identify users misrepresenting their age. The custom icons act as an incentive for teen account adoption.
Read at TechCrunch
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