Instagram is a social media platform enjoyed by many kids. Like any online platform, however, it also has the potential to become dangerous. We’ve already covered how to report and block bullies on Instagram. Now here’s everything else you need to know about setting up Instagram parental controls.
Private Profile
If your child has a public Instagram profile, anyone can see it and follow them. For private profiles, though, users must request to follow the account. This puts the account owner in charge of choosing whether or not to approve them. If your child has a private profile, they’re still at risk of seeing inappropriate content from people who request to follow them. However, they can decline follow requests from off-color accounts.
Here’s how to set an Instagram profile to private:
- Tap the photo in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen; this brings you to the Instagram profile.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap Settings at the very bottom of the screen.
- Tap Privacy, then Account Privacy.
- Enable a private account if it’s not private already.
Remove Followers
If any potentially dangerous followers (or people you just don’t like) do slip through the cracks, you can easily remove them. Open your child’s list of followers and select those you want to remove by tapping the three dots next to their name, then tap “remove.” Instagram will not notify these users you’ve removed them, but they’ll no longer see your child’s posts.
It’s also possible to block users.
- Visit their profile.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Tap Block and/or Report.
Stories and Comments
To prevent inappropriate comments appearing on your teen’s Instagram posts, tap the three dots above the post, then select Turn Off Commenting.
In Instagram Stories, you can also make sure only approved friends are allowed to respond to a story via direct message. After posting a story, tap more, then story settings. From there, you can choose to allow message replies only from people you follow.
Other Helpful Tips
Additional ways to ensure your child is safe on Instagram include following them from your own Instagram account. You can also enforce a rule that they can only have Instagram if you’re logged into, or have access to, their account 24/7.
Be aware that teens can access anything on the internet through Instagram by tapping the link in someone’s bio or swiping up on a sponsored Instagram story.
Previously, geo-locations were automatically reported (on public profiles, at least). Instagram has removed the Photo Map feature so your child’s location won’t be publicly displayed.
Finally, you can also use a monitoring service such as Bark, a parental control phone tracker app that alerts you to signs of predators, adult content, or depression.
Instagram Parental Controls – Sources
Bark
Instagram