ParentsSOS Responds to Meta’s New Instagram “Teen Accounts” Feature

Superficial Changes Won’t Protect Children—Congress Must Act

(WASHINGTON, D.C., April 10, 2025) – Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS) responded today to Meta’s announcement of expanded safety features for “Teen Accounts” on Instagram. While the company claims that changes like defaulting teen accounts to private, limiting sensitive content, and turning off nighttime notifications will improve safety, bereaved parents and advocates say these updates are superficial—and fall far short of what’s needed to protect kids online.

“Defaulting teen accounts to private, turning off late-night notifications, and limiting who can message kids are basic steps Meta should’ve taken years ago. They don’t seem to merit a special announcement,” said Maurine Molak, Co-Founder of ParentsSOS and Founder of David’s Legacy Foundation. “The real issue with Meta continues to be a business model that prioritizes engagement over safety. That’s why we need the Kids Online Safety Act: to hold platforms accountable and make safety the standard, not just a feature.

The new “Teen Accounts” features also include prompts that encourage teens to take breaks and shift away from certain types of content. But ParentsSOS warns that such tools can be quietly reversed, are difficult for parents to verify, and do nothing to address the addictive design of Instagram’s recommendation systems.

“We’ve seen this cycle with Meta before—minor changes that generate headlines but do nothing to change the underlying harm,” said Josh Golin, Executive Director of Fairplay and Co-Founder of ParentsSOS. “Cosmetic fixes won’t protect our kids. Only legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act can break that pattern and finally make platforms accountable.”