Meta Launches Teen Accounts On Instagram in UAE to Enhance Teen Safety Online

Teens First: Instagram Just Got a Safety Upgrade.

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Meta announced the launch of Instagram Teen Accounts in the UAE to help teens stay safe and give parents peace of mind. Teen accounts will transform how teens experience Instagram by placing them in the most protective content and privacy settings by default to offer safer, more age-appropriate online experiences. Built with input from parents, psychologists, and safety experts, Instagram Teen Accounts introduce a set of built-in protections that limit who can contact teens, the content they can see, and how much time they spend on the platform. Teens under 16 will automatically be placed into Teen Accounts and need parental or guardian approval to change any protective settings to be less strict. Globally, more than 54 million teens have already been enrolled in Teen Accounts, with 97% of teens ages 13-15 electing to remain in these protections. Early feedback from both teens and parents has been overwhelmingly positive — over 90% of parents surveyed said the protections are helpful.

“Teen Accounts were designed to give parents peace of mind so that their teens can use social media to connect with their friends and explore their interests without worrying about unsafe or inappropriate experiences. We’re excited to bring these features to the Middle East starting today,” said Sylvia Musalagani, Safety Policy Manager, Africa, Middle East & Turkey (AMET).

Key protections offered with Teen Accounts include:

• Private Accounts: By default, teen accounts are set to private, and teens under 16 can only change this default setting with help from a parent or guardian.

• Messaging Restrictions: Teen Accounts are automatically set so Teens can’t be messaged by anyone they’re not already connected to.

• Sensitive Content Control: Teens will automatically be placed in the most restrictive setting of the sensitive content control, limiting their exposure to sensitive content in Explore and Reels.

• Limited Interactions: Teens can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow. The strictest version of the anti-bullying feature, Hidden Words, will be enabled by default to filter out offensive language in comments and DM requests.

• Time Limit Reminders: Teens will receive notifications prompting them to exit the app after 60 minutes of daily usage.

• Sleep Mode: Sleep mode will be enabled from 10 PM to 7 AM, muting notifications and automatically sending replies to DMs overnight.

  

Meta hosted the Youth Summit with the Digital Wellbeing Council on June 18 to mark the launch in Emirates Towers, Dubai. The event brought together UAE policy stakeholders, experts, parents, and teens for an open dialogue about how to build safer digital experiences for teens and addressed recent trends in youth wellbeing. 

Meta is also partnering with regional parent creators, including the likes of Alaa Abou Harb, The Afrobysara Family, Jana Alhafarand others, to develop short-form video guides and safety tips on Instagram, making it easier for families to understand and use the new tools available to them. “Raising teens in the digital age comes with a lot of questions and a lot of worry. I’m glad there are now dedicated tools on Instagram that allow parents like us to guide our teens’ online experiences without taking away their independence. I think this is a step in the right direction,” said Deema Al Alami, co-founder of Arab Child Summit, parent creator, and educator. The announcement comes as part of Meta’s broader commitment to supporting digital wellbeing and online safety, especially among younger users in the region.