(CNN) – Instagram is making some big changes aimed at protecting young users on its platform.
Tuesday, the social media platform announced new ‘teen account’ settings that will take effect starting next week.
Accounts for users under age 18 will automatically be set to private and placed in the strictest messaging settings.
Only people they are already connected to will be able to send them messages, tag them in photos, or mention them in comments.
The new settings will also restrict what kinds of content they can view on the app.
They will also get time-limit reminders after they have spent an hour on the app each day.
The app will also automatically mute notifications between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
The changes come nearly three years after Instagram’s parent company Meta first came under fire about the risks its social media platforms pose for young users.
Pressure ramped up again last year after a whistleblower said Meta’s top executives ignored warnings about those dangers for years.
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