Meta has announced that all Instagram accounts for users under 18 will now default to a PG-13-style content setting, bringing the platform’s teen safety measures in line with familiar film-rating standards. The company describes this as its most significant update for teen safety to date, designed to limit exposure to explicit or harmful content.

 

Under the new system, teens will automatically be placed in the 13+ content setting and cannot opt out without parental consent. Meta explained that the goal is for a teen’s Instagram experience to feel “similar to watching a PG-13 movie,” where mild suggestive content or language may appear, but more adult or risky material is filtered out.

 

Why PG-13?

 

Meta chose the PG-13 standard because it is widely recognized by parents, providing a familiar benchmark for age-appropriate content. The company refined this framework to exclude material featuring strong language, risky stunts, or references to adult behaviors, including alcohol, drugs, or other restricted items.

 

An Ipsos survey commissioned by Meta found that 95% of US parents believe these settings will create a safer online environment, while 90% said it helps them better understand what their teens might see on the platform.

 

Limited Content: Extra Parental Control

 

For families wanting stricter restrictions, Meta is introducing a ‘Limited Content’ option. This setting blocks additional content types and disables features such as commenting. It also applies to AI-driven interactions, ensuring that chat-based tools avoid inappropriate topics. In Meta’s survey, 96% of parents valued the ability to apply stricter filters, even if they choose not to use them.

 

Expanded AI and Content Moderation

 

Meta has upgraded its AI systems to enforce the new teen standards more effectively. Teens will no longer be able to follow or interact with accounts sharing inappropriate content, and such accounts will not appear in search results or feeds. Sensitive search terms, including misspellings of words like “alcohol” or “gore,” will also be blocked. Direct messages containing restricted content cannot be opened by teen accounts.

 

Parents Shape Instagram’s Future

 

The new updates are based on feedback from parents worldwide, including over three million content ratings used to define age-appropriate material. Meta will continue collaborating with parents through regular surveys and a reporting tool that allows them to flag content they believe should be restricted for teens. In internal tests, fewer than 2% of posts shown to teens were considered inappropriate by the majority of parents.

 

Global Rollout

 

The PG-13 content filters are being launched first in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, with full deployment expected by the end of 2025. Meta plans to expand the feature worldwide in 2026 and apply similar protections to teens who misrepresent their age as adults. The company also confirmed plans to implement comparable age-based controls on Facebook in the coming months.