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Instagram Updated July 2021 

Safe on Social Media | Cyber Safety Education & Training

Instagram have made changes to its image-centric social media platform within Australia with the aim to protect children and young people under 16 years.

From 27 July 2021, Instagram enforced new settings for new users under the age of 16 years which now defaults all accounts to private limiting the accessibility to young users' accounts by other users on the network. Previously, all new user accounts were able to choose whether they had a public or private account.  

The new changes to account settings will not affect accounts already set up, however young users who already have public accounts will now be shown notifications advertising the benefits of switching to a privat,e account for their safety.

Instagram has also stated that they have added a new tool within the platform that automatically identifies ‘potentially suspicious’ behaviour which will stop the users of those accounts from interacting with younger users.

However, Instagram did preface ‘potential suspicious behaviour’ as being accounts belonging to adults which may have recently been blocked or reported by a young person for inappropriate or suspicious behaviour which means that some user assistance is required in identifying these suspicious adult users.  

They also have stated that adults deemed dubious will be restricted to access content from the accounts of young users and that not allowing the dubious adult user to follow the accounts of younger users.

Instagram has also stated they will be restricting advertising to young users so that they are not receiving or being targeted by advertisers on the platform.

Instagram has also added earlier this month, filters that have allowed users to adjust and filter out violent or sexually suggestive posts.

The new changes although extremely positive and in the right direction still allow young people to accept strangers to follow their account, therefore, we suggest discussing with your young person the following around Instagram:

1. If your child has an Instagram account, discuss the benefits of why a private account would be safer and why they should switch over until they are older.

2. Ensure your child or young person how to block and report suspicious or inappropriate users and to notify you.

3. Speak with them about stranger danger and why it's not safe to allow random strangers to follow them on any social media platform.

4. Discuss not accepting message requests from strangers in the private message section of Instagram and delete them.

5. Educate and discuss with them about online grooming and what it looks like so that your child can be aware.

6. Remind them that they should never be afraid to speak up.