Instagram is rolling out new features to protect teens, but experts say measures can only do so much

Experts welcome safety features on social media, but also understand the limitations. Julie Ricard/Unsplash New parental controls on Instagram include setting daily time limits for teens on the app. Policies like these are generally welcomed by experts and advocates for online safety.

But they also point out the limitations of what additional features can do. Meta rolled out new parental controls on Instagram on June 14, in a bid to make teens’ experiences on the app safer. The measures, which include setting daily time limits and parents being able to put in a request to be a supervisor, have built on the features that have been available in the US since March.

Policies to improve protecting young people on Instagram, which is available to download for anyone aged 13 and older, are generally welcomed by experts and advocates for online safety. But they also point out the limitations of what additional features can do. A broader issue may be the conversation gap that exists between children and their guardians about how valuable apps like Instagram are to teens’ lives, according to experts, and this is never going to be something social media companies can tackle alone.

Platforms need to take responsibility for the effects that their services and products can have on users, according to Priya Kumar, an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Information Sciences and Technology, who specializes in data privacy. But social media is not the only thing contributing to the safety and mental wellbeing in a child or teen’s life — it’s just one of many facets. “Developing features to help teens and other people manage their use of the app is helpful,” she said.

“But the features on their own, of course, aren’t going to resolve these complex issues. “Safety measures give parents more context about what their children are doing on the internet and whyStevie Chancellor, an assistant Professor in computer science and engineering at the University of Minnesota, told Insider that overall, allowing parents to help teens manage how they use Instagram is a “step in the right direction,” especially as many may not be keeping up with every app their children are using. “A lot of parents feel out of control with their kids’ access to tons of information on social networks,” Chancellor said.

“Giving parents that authority and that control is really important in developing a healthy relationship with social media websites. “Kumar agreed that the features are good conversation starters, but in order for them to truly make a difference in an individual teen’s life or in a parent child relationship, they have to be part of a conversation about how is the teen using Instagram, how they can develop healthy habits, and use it responsibly. For example, if there’s an open dialogue and the teen tells their parents they feel like they might be getting addicted to scrolling on their Instagram feed, they can discuss what might be appropriate to set as a time limit.

“As long as both people are coming to this with a sense of kind of a willingness to understand where the other person is coming from, then I think tools like this can be helpful,” Kumar said. The shortcomings of the features lie in outdated conversations and a lack of understandingMeta also has “a tough battle on their hands,” according to Ysabel Gerrard, a sociology researcher of digital media and society at the University of Sheffield, because apps like Instagram are always changing, with a shifting user base, constant new features, and evolutions in the way people interact on it. “We’ll never, ever reach a day where we can conclusively say, OK, they’ve done enough, full stop,” she said.

“Because then they’ll introduce something new and then that raises different concerns. “The focus on screen time, for instance, is quite an outdated conversation, she said, especially since the coronavirus pandemic when “screens were all we had. ” Gerrard said she worries parents will view these new measures, put a time stop in place on their kids’ apps, and think that’s their job done.

“There’s more to internet safety for kids than the volume of time that they’re spending on the app,” she said. “Actually a child can spend 10 minutes on the app and see something, or have something said to them that ruins their lives. “The conversations should instead be focused around the harmful experiences teens can have on social media, like bullying, body idealization, and low self-esteem.

Chancellor agreed the time teens are spending on Instagram is not the issue, because 30 minutes of “really triggering scrolling” through risky content is much more dangerous than four hours of talking with their friends. In her research on online eating disorder communities, Chancellor found that teens really quickly figure out how to get around parental controls, and the content they were served got more troublesome when they were trying to dodge them. They are also more likely to move off platform to WhatsApp or forums to talk about “risky behaviors,” she said.

Teenagers are curious, and are going to stumble across controversial and provocative content, sometimes by accident. Chancellor said she would hate for parental controls to be used to punish or restrict teens from learning about things, or for content that was served to them through no fault of their own. “If all of a sudden they’re in trouble because Instagram gave them something that was not good, that’s a terrible outcome,” she said.

“And it’s not going to promote a good relationship with the parents or help the kid learn how to have smarter surfing behaviors. “Parent-child relationships are the key to using controls effectivelyFor many young people, Instagram is one of the main ways to communicate and connect with their friendship group. It can be really helpful to find solidarity if they are struggling to find communities like them in the real world — a queer teenager trying to navigate their identity while living in an area they don’t feel accepted, for example.

Taking that away from a teenager would be devastating — especially if they don’t understand why. Kumar said if parents are going to use these controls they need to talk to their kids about it, and ensure these conversations are coming from a place of genuine interest, rather than assuming social media is “something frivolous that the teen is wasting their time on. “If the parent and child already have a rocky relationship, and Instagram time limits and restrictions are set without mutual understanding, that’s when the tech-savvy teen is going to find ways around them like setting up new accounts or going to different platforms.

All this does is breed more mistrust within the family, and make it less likely that the teen will go to the parent for help if they experience something upsetting online. “Teens don’t always want to listen to their parents,” Kumar said. “But if they know that their parents are on their side, and aren’t dismissing or invalidating their use of technology, then they are going to be more willing to go to their parents when they do need help.

“Social media can be a starting place to build further conversations about “some of the difficulties of life,” Kumar said. As children become teenagers, they start realizing the world can be a very challenging place, and they’re going to be able to tackle these challenges a lot easier if they have parents they can go to. “Then that way the conversation can be centered on, as a parent, I’m worried about you,” Kumar said.

“I’m worried about your wellbeing, and I want to do what I can to help you. “Read the original article on Insider.