Instagram is undergoing a big change and a new update will see all teenagers on the platform become Teen Accounts.

The accounts will have strict protections that are overseen by parents and turned on by default, in a major safety update by parent firm Meta.

Under the new system, those under 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any of the new default settings which will be applied to their account.

This will include accounts being automatically private, messaging restrictions limiting them to contact only those they are already connected with, and Meta’s strictest sensitive content settings.

Instagram makes massive update in parental control change 

Instagram's announcement comes as social media platforms continue to face regulatory pressure to better protect users, particularly children, from harmful content online.

The Online Safety Act will require firms to protect children from such content which is due to fully come into force in the UK next year.

Platforms, including Instagram, have previously been accused of failing to keep younger users away from harmful material on their sites, with many campaigners calling for stronger regulation to force companies to respond.

Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg, now Meta’s president of global affairs, said the aim of the change was to “shift the balance in favour of parents” when it came to using parental controls, while also hoping it would “act as a catalyst for a wider debate” around enhanced online safety tools.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Sir Nick said: “This (change) really tries to very meaningfully shift the balance in favour of parents by basically putting teens into the strictest default settings over what content they see, who they can be connected with, what time they can spend … and crucially, if you’re under 16, they’ll have to ask mum and dad if they can change those settings.”

Adding: “We hope this will act as a catalyst for this wider debate because there isn’t a world in which app-by-app solutions are sufficient.”

What does Instagram's parental control update mean?

Teen Accounts will also have their interactions limited so that only people they follow can tag or mention them, as well as be sent a notification telling them to leave the app after an hour’s use each day, and will have sleep mode on by default, which will mute notifications and auto-reply to direct messages between 10pm and 7am each day.

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Alongside the protections, parents will also have the option to see who their teenagers have been messaging in the past seven days – though not the messages themselves.

Plus they can set daily time limits for Instagram app usage, block app use for specific periods and see the topics their child has been looking at.

New teenage users who sign up to Instagram from today will be placed into a Teen Account, Meta said, with existing users set to be moved onto the new system next week.

It plans to have teenagers in the UK, US, Canada and Australia on the new accounts within two months and those in the EU later this year.