Instagram extends its parental supervision tools to India

Instagram on September 15 announced an extension of its parental supervision tools to India amid criticism that the Meta-owned video and photo sharing platform adversely impacted some young users.

These tools were first previewed by Instagram in December 2021 and introduced in March 2022. The company says it is designed to protect young users by helping parents and guardians get more involved in their kids' experiences on Instagram.

These supervision tools will enable parents to monitor how much time young users spend on Instagram and set screen time limits and scheduling breaks during the day and week, view what accounts their kids follow and who has followed them, and receive notifications about any accounts they have reported on the platform.

The company is also rolling out Family Center, a new hub for parents and guardians to access supervision tools and resources from leading experts.

Meta said it has been working closely with experts, parents, guardians and young people from the country, to understand the needs of parents and young people.

"One of the biggest needs continues to be tools and resources to educate parents about digital services. This education would allow parents and guardians to help their teens manage their online experiences" it said in a statement.

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Natasha Jog, Head, Public Policy, Instagram, Facebook India (Meta), said, "The supervision tools and the Family Center will add to our efforts on keeping young people safe. Our intention is to strike the right balance for young people's desire for some autonomy when using Instagram, but also allows for supervision in a way that supports conversations between parents and young people when it is helpful."

Family Center will enable parents and guardians to access resources in English and Hindi languages from experts and review articles, videos and tips on topics like how to talk to young people about social media. Parents can also watch video tutorials on how to use the new supervision tools, the company said in a statement.

The center will offer various guides developed in partnership with a range of institutes.

For instance, a 'Dealing with Exam Stress' guide has been developed in partnership with Fortis Mental Health, an LGBTQ guide on being safe online, developed in partnership with the Queer Muslim Project, and the guide to ‘Building Health Digital Habits’ developed in partnership with the Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC). It will also offer guides on creating safe spaces and managing their mental health.

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Meta said it will be working with Yuvaa, a youth media and insights company, to drive awareness about these resources.

"Young people today want to speak about their online experiences, but have apprehensions while doing so with their parents, because the generation gap for the Gen Zs has unfortunately become a communication gap. In our partnership with Meta, we aim to bridge this gap and ensure the tools and resources launched today are a trigger for them to have a much-needed conversation" said Nikhil Taneja, co-founder and CEO of Yuvaa.

Meta also mentioned that it will be working with Kidsstoppress.com, a discovery platform for parenting needs, to engage with parents and spread awareness of these tools. It will also roll out additional supervision tools and features in the Family Centre over the next months.

"Our vision for Family Center is to eventually allow parents and guardians to help their teens manage experiences across Meta technologies, all from one central place" the company had said in March this year.