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In the wake of two major U.S. court losses over child online safety, Meta is expanding its teen safety programs. the The company said On Thursday it was expanding the use of its PG-13 movie rating-inspired standard to include teen accounts internationally, especially in Europe.
the Rated PG-13, As we all know, it was created by the Motion Picture Association. It’s basically a warning sign to parents that the movie contains content that may not be suitable for children under the age of 13 due to violence, language, gender, or other factors. Instagram teen accounts are restricting the types of content those users are fed, saying they are now “inspired” by an MPA PG-13 rating.
Meta rolled out these changes in the US, UK, Australia and Canada in October 2025. Shortly after, MPA sent Meta Cease and desist letter in November 2025 for using the PG-13 term without permission. By March, the two organizations Reach an agreement To clarify what the standard means when used in reference to social media content.
“While there are of course differences between films and social media, we have made these changes so that the experiences of over-13s will feel closer to the Instagram equivalent of watching a film that has been rated as suitable for over-13s,” Mita said. Thursday’s post Policy announcement.
It’s the latest move from Meta in an attempt to reassure the public that its platforms are safe for young users. On March 24, a New Mexico jury found Meta liable for negligence To mislead users about children’s safety Allowing the exploitation of children, and requiring the company to pay $375 million in punitive damages. The next day, March 25, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google intentionally liable Build their social media platforms to be addictive. Meta disagreed with both rulings, and Google said it plans to appeal.
Instagram accounts for teens over 13
Instagram The Teen Accounts Program was launched in the United States In 2024. The goal was to move all users under the age of 16 to these more private and secure accounts. Teen accounts are private by default, which means it’s difficult for strangers to interact with them. These accounts are also subject to Instagram’s more restrictive content settings, which means they should not be shown posts that are sexually suggestive, contain graphic or disturbing images, or adult materials like tobacco and alcohol. Teens need a parent’s permission to opt out of these default settings. Meta took these content restrictions Another step in October 2025 With its first version having over 13 reviews.
Meta reiterated in its blog post this week that teen Instagram accounts “will hide or not recommend posts that contain strong language, certain risky stunts, and additional content that could encourage potentially harmful behavior, such as posts showing marijuana paraphernalia.”
She added that teens will no longer be allowed to follow people they already follow if those accounts have an “inappropriate” username and continually share “age-inappropriate” content for teens. And for parents who don’t feel like these default settings are enough, Meta has a new “Limited Content” setting that’s more stringent regarding commentary and AI interactions. Meta came under fire last year when an internal report showed its AI-powered chatbots would do just that “Sensory” interactions with children.
Critics have said that Instagram’s content controls for younger users may prevent them from seeing informative content. Instagram moderation systems, Increasingly powered by artificial intelligencecan have difficulty interpreting context around specific keywords. For example, posts related to reproductive health or eating disorders may be flagged, even if they have educational content.