💬 Social apps and messaging
Instagram (Teen Accounts)
By Meta. Visit Instagram (Teen Accounts)
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
Meta's photo and video app, with Reels, Stories and DMs. Since 2024 anyone 13 to 17 is placed in a Teen Account: private by default, messages only from people they follow, the strictest sensitive-content and comment filters, a 60-minute reminder and overnight sleep mode. Under 16s need a parent, through Family Center supervision, to loosen any of this. Content limits are now modeled on 13+ movie ratings. Meta paused teens' access to its AI characters in January 2026; the Meta AI assistant stays available.
Our take: For teens 13+ only with supervision set up in Family Center; parents should not rely on Teen Accounts alone.
| Ages it suits | 13+ |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | You must be at least 13 years old to use Instagram, and you must not be barred from the service under applicable law. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free with ads (Oct 2026); optional paid features such as creator subscriptions are in-app purchases. |
| Works on | iPhone and iPad, Android, Web |
| Account | The child's own account |
| Ads | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes |
| The AI in it | Recommendation systems rank Feed, Reels and Explore; Meta AI chat is built in, and Meta uses AI to place suspected teens into Teen Accounts even if they claim to be adults. |
What's good
- Teen Accounts on by default for 13-17
- Under-16s need a parent to loosen settings
- DMs limited to people the teen follows
- Sleep mode and daily reminder
Watch for
- Independent testing found most teen tools weak
- Ads and Meta AI throughout
- Large verdicts and an $18B state settlement
- On Australia's under-16 restricted list
Data and privacy
Meta's privacy policy says it uses what people do, including their interactions with its AI features, to personalize feeds, Meta AI and ads across Meta apps, and shares information among Meta companies. Teen Accounts set strict defaults, but the policy does not exempt teens from ads. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
A September 2025 test of 47 Teen Account safety tools by former Meta engineer Arturo Béjar, Cybersecurity for Democracy and child-safety groups found 64% ineffective or gone and only 17% working as described. In 2026 a Los Angeles jury and a New Mexico jury ($375 million) found Meta liable for harms to young users, and in August 2026 Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle claims from 48 states plus DC, with new time limits and parental controls; Meta is appealing the verdicts.
- https://mollyrosefoundation.org/instagram-teen-accounts-fail-to-protect-children-first-of-its-kind-testing-of-safety-tools-reveals/
- https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2026/03/25/jury-finds-instagram-and-youtube-liable-in-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial/
- https://www.wcax.com/2026/08/26/meta-reaches-17-billion-settlement-with-states-landmark-trial-over-teen-social-media-addiction/
In the Big Index
- The maker in the who's who: Meta
Alternatives to Instagram (Teen Accounts)
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Apple Messages and FaceTime (Communication Safety)
Apple · ages any age with a parent-made child account; teens 13-17
Worth turning on for any child with an iPhone or iPad; pair it with contact limits for younger kids.
Desk researchFree
BeReal
BeReal SAS · ages 13+
A lower-pressure social app for teens 13+ with real-life friends; younger kids should wait.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Discord (Family Center, teen-by-default)
Discord Inc. · ages 13+
Workable for teens 13+ who mainly chat with real-life friends, with Family Center on; too open for younger children.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Kinzoo Messenger
Kinzoo · ages young kids to tweens, on a parent-made account
A good first messenger for under-13s whose friends will also join; check the in-app store settings.
Desk researchFree
Lemon8
TikTok USDS Joint Venture (US) · ages 13+
No reason for kids under 13; for teens it carries the same data terms as TikTok without TikTok's parent tools.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Messenger Kids
Meta · ages under 13 (App Store rating 4+)
A reasonable first messenger for under-13s whose family already uses Facebook; skip if you don't want Meta holding your child's messages.
Where these facts come from
- https://help.instagram.com/581066165581870
- https://about.instagram.com/community/teen-accounts
- https://about.fb.com/news/2024/09/instagram-teen-accounts/
- https://about.fb.com/news/2025/10/teen-ai-safety-approach/
- https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/instagram/id389801252
- https://mollyrosefoundation.org/instagram-teen-accounts-fail-to-protect-children-first-of-its-kind-testing-of-safety-tools-reveals/
- https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2026/03/25/jury-finds-instagram-and-youtube-liable-in-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial/
- https://www.wcax.com/2026/08/26/meta-reaches-17-billion-settlement-with-states-landmark-trial-over-teen-social-media-addiction/
- https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001564408/000156440826000052/snap-20260630.htm
- https://heatleyss.eq.edu.au/support-and-resources/cybersafety/social-media-minimum-age
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.