Instead, allow them the freedom to use Instagram - but monitor their activities in a healthy and respectful way. Simply banning kids from using the platforms is not a solution because they’re likely to secretly use it anyway without your knowledge, which can make matters worse. Talk to your kidsīefore anything else, talk openly to your children about the potential dangers of social media and how they can stay safe when using it. But there are several steps parents can take to make Instagram safer for kids and teens. Unfortunately, Instagram does not specifically offer any parental controls. Moreover, there’s an abundance of Instagram scams that children can fall victim to, ranging from phishing to fake contests, misleading offers, the sale of counterfeit products, and more.Īll of the risks mentioned above make it essential to set up the privacy controls that Instagram offers and educate children about online safety from a young age. Plus, strangers can get ahold of your child’s contact information and begin bullying, spamming, or catfishing them through different communication channels. Children can then be stalked in real life and roped into dangerous situations. It’s pretty easy to piece together this information from Instagram profiles and posts. Imagine a stranger being privy to who your child’s friends are, where they go to school, what their daily routine looks like, and where they like to go on weekends. It can be a privacy nightmare when kids and teens post personal information about themselves. Just like other websites and apps, Instagram collects information about users. They can also encourage kids to buy products and services that are fake, harmful, exorbitantly expensive, or simply unnecessary. Moreover, Instagram is flooded with celebrities and influencers who can spread misleading information on everything from health to politics. Teens can easily feel “left out” and “less than” if they cannot flaunt the same lifestyles or looks that they see online. This is because the platform tends to promote constant comparison with others, a need for perfection, and other such behaviors that can emotionally scar children. However, it’s especially harmful to the mental health of kids, particularly teenage girls. Instagram has been extensively linked to anxiety, negative body image, and other adverse effects in users of all ages. It’s clear then that cyberbullying is a major threat for kids on all social media platforms - and, unfortunately, it can have severe long-term effects, such as severe emotional distress, depression, violence, and more. This can be from children’s friends and schoolmates, as well as random strangers.

This was higher than any other platform, with Facebook coming in second at 37%.Īdditionally, a 2019 survey by the Cyberbullying Research Center revealed that 36.5% of respondents experienced cyberbullying at some point in their lives. If you run a simple Google search on “cyberbullying on Instagram,” you’ll find endless news stories and research articles about the issue.Īccording to the 2017 Annual Bullying Survey, 42% of respondents experienced cyberbullying on Instagram. Moreover, Instagram is owned by Facebook, now known as Meta, which is notorious for its murky privacy practices and lack of content regulation.Ĭonsidering these aspects, below are some of the main dangers of Instagram that parents should be aware of when allowing their kids to use the platform. This means children can connect with anyone on the platform without fully knowing who that person is.įake accounts abound on the platform, as do child predators. On Instagram, users can share and view images and videos follow and interact with other people and send private messages (known as “direct messages” or “DMs”) to anyone on the app. However, extended screen time isn’t the only problem with this platform. It aims to attract as many people as possible to use the app for as long as possible. Like other social media platforms such as YouTube and Reddit, Instagram is built to be addictive. Moreover, what can parents do to monitor their kids on this social media app and ensure they stay safe? This article will explore the potential dangers of Instagram for children and the parental controls it offers. This makes it vital to consider: is Instagram safe for kids? As of October 2021, 8% of Instagram users are between 13 and 17 years old. With over a billion monthly active users, Instagram is currently the most popular social media app.

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