Instagram to introduce PG-13 rules for teen accounts
Instagram is set to introduce new safety restrictions for teenage users, adopting a system similar to the PG-13 movie rating to give parents greater control over what their children see on the platform.
The change, announced by Meta, means that all users under 18 will automatically be placed in the “13+” content setting, which will apply across posts, reels, and search results. Teens will only be able to move out of this setting with parental approval.
Stronger filters on sensitive content
Instagram already hides or limits content featuring sexual references, disturbing images, or adult themes such as alcohol and tobacco. Under the new policy, Meta says these restrictions will go further — blocking or hiding posts that include strong language, dangerous stunts, or material that might encourage harmful behavior, like posts showing marijuana accessories.
The platform will also filter search terms such as “alcohol” or “bloody,” even if they are misspelled, to make it harder for younger users to encounter sensitive content by accident.
“A PG-13 experience on Instagram”
Meta said the goal is to make the teenage experience on Instagram more comparable to watching a PG-13 movie, explaining that parents are already familiar with this independent standard.
“While there are clear differences between films and social media, we made these changes so that the teen experience on Instagram’s 13+ category feels closer to what parents expect from a PG-13 film,” the company stated.
In the United Kingdom, the closest equivalent rating is 12A, which — like PG-13 — allows mild violence or brief, non-explicit nudity. The new Instagram setting will follow a similar philosophy, not banning such content entirely but limiting its visibility for minors.
Safety concerns and pushback
The move follows an independent investigation led by former Meta engineer Arturo Béjar, researchers from New York University and Northeastern University, and the UK’s Molly Rose Foundation, which concluded that “children are not safe on Instagram.”
The study claimed that nearly two-thirds (64%) of Instagram’s safety tools for teens were ineffective. Meta rejected those findings, arguing that its parental controls and supervision features already give families strong safeguards.
The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has also called on social media companies to adopt a “safety-first” approach, warning that platforms that fail to comply could face enforcement actions.
Global rollout
The new Instagram rules for minors will launch first in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, before expanding to Europe and the rest of the world in early 2026, according to Meta.
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