Instagram

Photo, video and messaging app. Under-18 accounts now get a protected 'Teen Account' setup by default.

Menu names shift between software versions and between phone makers. If a name here does not match what you see, look for something close by rather than assuming the setting is gone.

1. 1

   Check the birthday on the account is correct

   This is the step most people skip, and it undoes everything else. Teen Accounts are applied based on the stated age.

   Profile → ☰ → Settings and privacy → Accounts Center → Personal details

   1. Open their profile and check the date of birth on the account.
   2. If it’s wrong, correct it. Instagram may ask for verification.

   With a correct under-18 birthday, sensitive content filters, restricted DMs, a 60-minute daily reminder and overnight Sleep Mode all switch on automatically.

   Who holds this: This lives in your child's own settings, so they can change it back. There is no parent-side lock for it.

   Already done this?

   If the birthday is wrong you can change it, in Accounts Center under Profiles and personal details. Instagram may ask for a video selfie or an ID check to allow it. The line that matters is 16, not 13: under-16s need your permission to loosen Teen Account settings, while 16 and 17 year olds can loosen them on their own unless supervision is set up. So if the true age is 16 or 17, correcting the birthday is not enough on its own, set up supervision as well. We could not confirm how many times a birthday can be changed or how long you wait between changes.

2. 2

   Set up parental supervision

   Teen Accounts protect. Supervision gives you visibility, and for under-16s, approval rights over setting changes.

   Settings and privacy → Supervision (or Family Center)

   1. On your account, open Settings and privacy, then Supervision.
   2. Tap Set up supervision and send the invitation to your teen.
   3. Your teen opens the invitation and accepts it.
   4. Either of you can start the invite, and sometimes it’s easier if they invite you.

   You’ll see who they follow, who follows them, accounts they’ve interacted with recently, and daily screen time. You won’t see the content of their messages.

   Who holds this: Either of you can change this, and neither of you is told when the other does.

3. 3

   Know what needs your approval (under 16)

   For under-16s, loosening a safety setting sends you a request. Expect a few, and treat each one as a conversation rather than a yes/no.

   1. Watch for approval requests in Supervision.
   2. When one comes in, ask why they want the change before deciding.
4. 4

   Tighten messaging and comments

   DMs are the main route strangers use. Teen Accounts already restrict this, but it’s worth confirming.

   Settings and privacy → Messages and story replies / Comments

   1. Confirm messages are limited to people they follow.
   2. Turn on Hidden Words to filter offensive comments and message requests.
   3. Set story replies to People you follow.

   Recommended by age

   13–15	People you follow onlyOnly people you have approved can reach them. Nobody else can message, call or speak to them.
   16–17	People you follow onlyOnly people you have approved can reach them. Nobody else can message, call or speak to them.

   Who holds this: This lives in your child's own settings, so they can change it back. There is no parent-side lock for it.

   If someone is being cruel to them

   Hidden Words is the one that matters most and the easiest to skip past. It does not delete anything, it keeps it out of your child’s view, which is usually the point. Worth switching on before anything happens rather than after.

5. 5

   Confirm the account is private and location is off

   A private account plus no location tags is most of the privacy job done. Expect some pushback, because private costs them reach and followers, and that is a real loss to a teenager rather than an imagined one. Better to name it than to pretend the setting is free.

   Settings and privacy → Account privacy

   1. Confirm Private account is on.
   2. Turn off location tags when posting.
   3. Check their bio doesn’t name their school or team.

   Who holds this: This lives in your child's own settings, so they can change it back. There is no parent-side lock for it.

6. 6

   Check screen time and Sleep Mode

   Sleep Mode mutes notifications and auto-replies to DMs overnight. It’s the setting most likely to actually improve things.

   Settings and privacy → Time management

   1. Confirm Sleep Mode is on. It runs 10pm to 7am and is on by default on a Teen Account.
   2. Set a daily time limit if you want a firmer stop.

   Overnight, notifications are muted and anyone who messages them gets an auto-reply.

   Who holds this: This lives in your child's own settings, so they can change it back. There is no parent-side lock for it.

7. 7

   Scroll the follower list together

   Follower lists are where the surprises live. Do this one together rather than behind their back.

   1. Open their followers list and scroll it with them.
   2. Remove or block anyone they can’t place.
   3. Show them how to block and report while you’re there.

   If someone is being cruel to them

   Doing this together is also how you learn who is actually in their life. A follower list will not show you the group chats, though, and that is usually where it happens.

Menus move. If something on screen does not match these steps, check the official link above.