Instagram Introduces Parental Supervision Tools In India

Meta-owned Instagram said on Thursday that it has rolled out its Parental Supervision Tools in India. 

With this new tool, the social media platform, which is highly popular among teens, wants to help parents get more involved in their teen’s experiences on the platform.

In addition, Instagram is also bringing a ‘Family Centre’. On the back of this new feature, parents and guardians will be able to access supervision tools and resources from leading experts. 

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

One of the biggest needs continues to be tools and resources to educate parents about digital services, the company added. “This education would allow parents and guardians to help their teens manage their online experiences,” the company said. 

It is to be noted that Meta launched Parental Supervision Controls and a Family Center in the US in March 2022.

“The safety of our community is of paramount importance to us at Meta. The supervision tools and the Family Center will add to our efforts on keeping young people safe,”  Natasha Jog, head of public policy, Instagram, Facebook India (Meta) said.

“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. We’re thankful to all our expert partners in this space, who’s insights we continuously draw from, including for our launches today,” Jog added.

With the new supervision tool, Instagram will enable parents and guardians to manage how much time their young ones spend on Instagram as the feature will help young people manage their time on Instagram by setting screen time limits and scheduling breaks during the day and week.

Moreover, the feature will also help parents and guardians to view what accounts their young children follow and the accounts that follow them.

Besides, the supervision tool will also allow this target group to notify their parents or guardians when they report someone.

Further, for better engagement with parents and increased awareness of the new tools, Meta will be working with Kidsstoppress.com, a discovery platform for parenting needs.

On the other hand, Family Center includes a new education hub where parents and guardians can access resources from experts and review articles, videos and tips on topics including how to talk to young people about social media.