This Instagram’s ‘Parent Guide’ will help your kids browse safely

The launch of LinkedIn in 2002 marked an era of social networks and in fact, the social media industry has become so colossal today that over two billion users are using various networks globally and as the internet penetration goes deep, this number is expected to grow.

One of the rising stars of social networks is Instagram. Owned by Facebook, Instagram is most popular among teens with over a billion users globally as of April 2019. This large visual social channel is distinguished by its unique filters and photo and video editing options. The channel is entirely mobile-driven and provides access to great imagery.

While it’s so much fantastic to see just how powerful social media can be, however, at the same these apps have become a nightmare for parents as kids are found to be addicted to them. Many parents and guardians often wonder about what their teens are doing online, and for Instagram, it comes as a great responsibility to make sure a social network is a positive place for them to connect and share. That’s why, it has created a ‘Parent’s Guide’, a new resource for parents with teens who use Instagram.

Instagram has been regularly building tools such as comment controls, the ability to report unwanted interactions, and most recently, a suite of features to help you manage time on the app are all developed to help ensure people’s experience with Instagram is positive, safe and intentional.

The Parent’s Guide focuses on three things -- how to manage privacy, interactions and time on Instagram. The company has explained the basic functionality of the app and provided a description of tools, plus a discussion guide for how parents and guardians can have an open conversation with their teens about Instagram.

Manage Privacy

Instagram provides a number of tools that you can share with your teen, which will give them more control over their digital identity and footprint. First, talk with your teen, if their account is going to be public or private and make sure they fully understand that they have control over who sees and interacts with the things they post online will empower them to feel like they can be themselves on Instagram.

Private accounts simply mean that the content of your teen’s account can’t be seen by anyone they haven’t approved. If your teen is public, anyone can see the content they post on Stories, Feed, or Live, and can follow them without needing approval. If your teen already has a public account, they can switch to private at any time; they can also go from private to public. They can remove followers, choose who can comment and more. Your teen can also turn off ‘Show Activity Status’ so friends can’t see when they’re online.

Manage Interactions

Bullying has become one of the critical aspects of social networks and many companies have taken tight steps to reduce it. As a parent, you can let your teen know that if they spot an account, photo, video, comment, message or story that is intended to bully or harass someone, they can report it from within the app by tapping “...” from the top right corner of the post or profile, swiping left on the comment, or tapping and holding the message, and tapping “Report.” Keep in mind that Reporting is totally anonymous and your teen’s information won’t be shared with the person who has been reported.

Manage Time

Instagram has an Activity Dashboard that shows how much time your teen has spent on the app for the past day and week, as well as their average time on the app. Your teen can tap and hold the blue bars to see how much time they’ve spent on Instagram on a certain day.

You can ask them how they feel while using the app. Is there comes a point when they don’t get as much out of it? Setting a daily reminder together can be a good way to talk about how your teen is using Instagram throughout the day.