Instagram will soon limit what teens can view using a new PG-13 content policy. The Instagram teen safety policy mirrors film industry standards to create a safer online space for younger users.
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, announced the update in a Tuesday blog post. It described the change as a major move toward protecting teens online. The policy will follow the PG-13 framework and roll out fully by year’s end.
Under this standard, suggestive content, mild profanity, and limited violence may appear, but explicit material will remain restricted.
Meta stated that Instagram “would not recommend content containing nudity to teenage users.” The new rules also extend to Instagram’s AI chatbots.
Lawmakers are reviewing these AI tools after reports of inappropriate conversations with minors. Under the updated Instagram teen safety policy, responses from Meta’s AI characters must meet PG-13 standards and remain appropriate for all teenage users.
This change marks Instagram’s biggest update to its content filtering since last year’s safety overhaul. In 2024, the platform introduced “teen accounts” to safeguard users under 18. That move also limited what content appeared on their feeds.
The latest regulation goes further. It restricts how teens can connect with certain accounts or find adult material. Instagram will also introduce a “limited content” setting that parents can activate for stricter control beyond the PG-13 level.
Meta said it consulted thousands of parents while developing the Instagram teen safety policy. Parents rated different content categories to determine what’s suitable for a PG-13 audience.
Based on this feedback, Meta plans to use its latest AI technology to automatically rate and filter Instagram posts. The company says this step will make the platform more secure for teens worldwide.
