"Parents manage and supervise"...Instagram's 'Teenage Account' will be introduced in Korea in January next year.

Instagram logo.

A dedicated account will be introduced in Korea in January next year, where parents manage and supervise the use of Instagram by adolescent children.

Meta's Asia-Pacific Safety Policy Director Prianka Bala said on the 5th that Meta will expand its "Top 10 Accounts" to Korea and other countries around the world in January next year.

Four countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, have already launched "Teenage Accounts" for teenagers using Instagram.

The account may limit exposure to sensitive content to adolescents.

There is also a function that allows children to restrict their smartphone use between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. through the Parental Supervision Tool.

Parents can limit their daily app usage time to prevent their children from using Instagram excessively, and they can also prevent access to unhealthy content.

'Teenage Accounts' will first set the account itself private and will not be exposed to sensitive content such as violence, alcohol, or gambling. In addition, private messages (DMs) from others who are not in a following relationship are also restricted.

Among adolescents, autonomy is differentiated according to age. Adolescents over the age of 16 can turn off the above default settings, but for adolescents under the age of 16, the settings can only be turned off with parental approval.

Meta said it has launched a teenage account because parents want to know what content their children watch online and how much they use after listening to opinions from teenagers, parents, and experts.

Meta added that even if users cheat their age to avoid supervisory tools, they can be distinguished through artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Reporter Park Sun-young of Digital News Team