Will Instagram be safer for teens? LIers weigh in on changes

Instagram’s new move to make teen accounts private might help children and parents wade through the murky world of social media, but more safeguards are needed to protect developing minds, according to several Long Island stakeholders.

Meta, which owns platforms including Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, on Tuesday launched new restrictions for Instagram users between the ages of 13 and 17. Teenagers’ accounts will default to private mode, inappropriate content will be limited, and messaging also will be confined to people they follow or whom they previously connected with, according to a company announcement.

Shawn Wightman, superintendent of the Roosevelt Union Free School District, described the measure as a "step in the right direction." He stressed that it opens up further discourse about social media’s influence on teenagers and families, while noting that parents, educators and companies must work jointly toward a comprehensive solution.

"In Roosevelt, we’ve seen first hand how conflicts originating online can spill over into the school environment, requiring not only immediate intervention but also ongoing emotional support for students," Wightman said in an email. 

"While privacy settings offer a baseline level of safety, they don’t fully address deeper concerns like cyberbullying, mental health impacts, or the pressures of social validation that platforms like Instagram can foster," he added. 

The Instagram changes, which took effect immediately for new users and will kick in within 60 days for others, come amid growing concerns about social media adversely impacting teenagers’ mental health.

They also follow a host of legal challenges across the country, including a federal lawsuit in October from New York State Attorney General Letitia James and 32 other state attorneys general alleging the company created addictive features that harm young people.

In July, 11 Long Island school districts sued Meta and other social media companies alleging the platforms are causing serious harm that is costing additional money and resources to address, Newsday previously reported.

Some Long Islanders said the new Instagram restrictions should mark the beginning of a digital overhaul aimed at better protecting children online.

Dafny Irizarry Ortiz, founder and president of the Long Island Latino Teachers Association in Central Islip, said she has concerns the measures still fail to account for busy working parents, parents who don’t speak English and parents who lack the technological skills to intervene online. She said the onus is both on companies and government to do more.

"Especially for parents who don't speak English, how can parents monitor and understand what's going on? There is a big risk for those students ... It’s giving some more control to the parents, but not all parents can manage that technology world," she said.

Meta officials said the new Instagram restrictions are intended to shield teens under 18 from inappropriate content that may contain violence, self-harm or be sexually suggestive.

To promote better sleep, notifications for teens will be turned off during sleep mode from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and teens will receive a notification after spending 60 minutes on the platform, according to the company.

Meta officials said parents also will have more oversight, allowing them to see topics their children are searching and people they have messaged in the last week. Teens under 16 will need parental permission to switch their accounts to public, according to the social media company.

Freeport High School freshman Charli Mitchell said she supports the new restrictions but doesn't believe they will result in any significant change.

Mitchell, 14, said many teenagers have their accounts set to private mode and those who don’t can bypass the new safety features by lying about their ages.

Meta has acknowledged teenagers may try to use a different birth date and said it will require teens to verify their ages in more places as it also works on improving technology to detect teen accounts.

"If they don’t put in some checks or some way to see that you're not or you are a teenager, people are just gonna lie about their age," Mitchell said.

"I think they're definitely getting somewhere with providing a more private and safe environment for kids that are on Instagram, but they're going to need to do more," she added.

Stacy Pellettieri, a clinical social worker who owns Long Island Counseling Services in East Meadow and Melville, said her practice sees a lot of children negatively affected by social media and that parents also are having difficulties finding appropriate guidance regarding the online environment.

"Having the tech company take responsibility and step up and say, 'We're going to put these measures in place to help the children,' it also helps the parents," Pellettieri said. "Now the kids aren't going to say, 'But Mary and Joe and Jim are all on there, and they're all doing this,' because none of them are. So now it's that much easier for the parents, because there's less of a power struggle."