Take a Break reminders, topic nudges, limiting visibility of sensitive content, restricting who can tag teens, and providing more parental controls are some of the features that Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) announced today to make Instagram a safer platform for teens. Why this matters? The impact that Instagram has on teen mental health was thrown into the spotlight in September when the Wall Street Journal reported on how Facebook knew Instagram was toxic for teens girls but did not disclose or address this and how the company employs various tactics to attract preteens onto its platforms. Since those revelations, these are the first set of comprehensive changes focused on teen safety that Instagram has announced. However, it should be noted that many of the features described below are still in testing and the ones that are launching do not go far enough in addressing the concerns raised by mental health experts, some of which have been highlighted by researchers in an open letter sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday. More tools to manage time spent and digital footprint on Instagram Take a Break feature: Earlier in October, Instagram said that it plans to introduce a feature that will prompt teens to stay off Instagram for some time. Today, the platform is officially launching Take a Break in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia and it will available globally next year. "If someone has been scrolling for a certain amount of time, we’ll ask them to take a break from Instagram and suggest…
