With Instagram introducing new policies to protect teenage accounts, parents will now be able to monitor their children's accounts more closely.

According to Meta Korea on the 1st, domestic teenagers aged 14 to 18 will face certain restrictions when using Instagram starting mid-month. Last year, the company announced it would expand the 'Teen Accounts' system, which is already in operation for teenagers in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, to Korea and other countries worldwide.

When an account is set as a 'Teen Account,' exposure to sensitive content can be blocked, and with the 'Parental Supervision Tool,' parents can restrict their child's smartphone use between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. In addition, guardians can control Instagram usage time and check who has messaged their child in the past seven days. To disable these functions, parental consent is required.

The reason Instagram has taken such stringent protective measures is interpreted as an effort to prevent excessive use of social networking services (SNS) among teenagers. In September last year, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his intention regarding age restrictions on SNS, saying, "I want to see children away from devices, playing on soccer fields, swimming pools, tennis courts, and so on." Not only Australia but also Norway, France, and other countries have pushed for legislation to limit SNS use among teenagers.

Meanwhile, in November last year, some parents who managed their children's accounts on Instagram experienced unexpected account deactivations without prior notice. So Yul, a former member of the group Crayon Pop, expressed her frustration, saying, "My daughter's account was suddenly deactivated last night. All the drawings, videos, and photos that fans had beautifully created are gone. I'm really upset." This occurred due to changes in Instagram's internal regulations, which resulted in stricter protection measures for minors and the sudden suspension of many accounts featuring children's photos.

Instagram fundamentally only allows users aged 14 and older to sign up. According to Instagram's official guidelines, accounts representing children under 14 must clearly state in their profile that the account is managed by a parent or guardian. Meta explained that if an account is deactivated, a reinstatement request can be made within 180 days for review.