Instagram app on a smartphone, in this illustration taken on July 13, 2021. Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters
Children and teenagers on Instagram are still exposed to harmful content, despite the rollout of many safety tools, according to a study led by a Meta whistleblower.
Instagram introduced specialized teen accounts in 2024, promising stronger protections and expanded parental oversight. But the study, released Sept. 25, found that 30 of the 47 safety features on Instagram are either “substantially ineffective or no longer exist.”
