INSTAGRAM has introduced new features to protect accounts managed by adults that predominantly display children in their content. The new feature was announced by the company on its blog page, as quoted by TechCrunch on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
Accounts managed by adults regularly sharing photos or videos of children will automatically be placed in the app's message settings to prevent receiving unwanted messages.
Accounts managed by adults, such as talent managers representing children, are included in the same system. "While these accounts are overwhelmingly used in benign ways, unfortunately, there are people who may try to abuse them," as quoted from Meta's statement by Antara on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. For example, with sexually suggestive comments on their posts or by requesting images through messages (DM) which clearly violates Meta's rules."Today we’re announcing steps to help prevent this abuse."
Instagram Protection Features
Instagram also provides a Hidden Words filter feature for account owners to filter offensive comments.
Meta will prevent suspicious adults from being recommended to accounts displaying children on Instagram, and vice versa. Another goal is to make it harder for them to be discovered through Instagram searches. The announcement of the new protection features comes after Meta and Instagram have taken steps over the past year to reduce the risk of mental health issues stemming from social media.
The new feature changes will significantly impact family vloggers and parents who manage accounts for their children. Meta stated that accounts subject to these stricter settings will receive notifications at the top of the Instagram Feed. These notifications will serve as a reminder to the account managers that Instagram has updated their security settings and request account managers to review their account privacy settings.
In an effort to combat sexual crimes targeting children in the digital space, Meta has removed as many as 135,000 sexually suggestive Instagram accounts. Meta has also introduced new security features for DMs in Teen Accounts that are applied automatically
The month and year the account joined Instagram will be displayed at the top of new conversations. Instagram has also added the option to block and report, allowing users to do both simultaneously. "These new features complement the security notifications we display to remind people to be cautious in private messages," stated Meta in writing.
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