By Juliet Umeh
In a renewed push for child online protection, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has launched Teen Accounts on Instagram in Nigeria, an initiative designed not only to safeguard teens but to also give parents greater control over their children’s digital lives.
As part of the rollout, all new Instagram users under the age of 16 in Nigeria will now be automatically enrolled into Teen Accounts, which come preloaded with safety features such as content filtering, restricted messaging, and sleep mode notifications. Teens will now require parental consent to make any changes that would reduce the level of protection.
Speaking during the launch, Sylvia Musalagani, Meta’s Safety Policy Manager for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, AMET, said the company is responding to the growing concerns of parents and regulators about the safety of teens online.
Musalagani said: “Teen Accounts offer built-in protections that allow young people to express themselves safely, while empowering parents with new tools to supervise their children’s online activity.
“We believe that teens can explore, connect and create on Instagram, but they should do so within age-appropriate guardrails.”
Built-in protection for Teens
Teen Accounts are automatically set to private and come with a host of safety features: Private by Default: Teens’ profiles are hidden from strangers.
Restricted Messaging: Teens can only receive DMs from people they follow.
Sensitive Content Filtering: Teens are shielded from explicit or harmful content across Explore, Reels and Feed.
Anti-Bullying Measures: Features like ‘Hidden Words’ help block offensive messages and comments.
Time Limits & Sleep Mode: Teens are nudged to log off after 60 minutes and notifications are muted overnight (10 PM–7 AM).
Since launching Teen Accounts globally in September 2024, Meta has already enrolled 54 million teens, with 97 percent of users aged 13–15 retaining the default protection settings.
Empowering parents with supervision Tools
In addition to automatic safety features, Meta introduced enhanced parental supervision tools, giving guardians a more active role in their teens’ Instagram usage:
Interaction Review: Parents can view a list of who their teens have messaged in the past week.
App Time Limits: Instagram access can be limited daily or blocked during certain hours.
Interest Monitoring: Parents can see what topics or content their teens are engaging with.
Regulators back the move
Welcoming the initiative, Director of Regulations and Compliance at the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Barr. Emmanuel Edet, said the development is in line with Nigeria’s broader digital protection agenda.
“Meta’s Teen Accounts support key objectives in NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap, particularly around data privacy and child online protection,” Edet said.
“We’ve worked closely with the Nigerian Communications Commission and pushed for legislation like the Online Harms Protection Bill to protect minors online. This move by Meta strengthens that cause.”
The launch event in Lagos brought together parents, teens, digital creators, media professionals, and policymakers for an interactive session on Instagram’s safety features and Meta’s broader digital well-being agenda.
