Meta has officially launched Teen Accounts on Instagram in Nigeria, reinforcing its commitment to building safe, private, and positive online experiences for teens across Africa.
The launch marks a strategic step in Meta’s broader plan to support youth safety on digital platforms. As more Nigerian teenagers join Instagram, the introduction of Teen Accounts aims to empower parents, protect minors, and limit exposure to harmful content.
Okay.ng reports that Teen Accounts will now be automatically activated for all new Instagram users under 16 in Nigeria. These accounts come with built-in protections, such as private profiles, messaging restrictions, content filtering, and usage time limits. Importantly, teens cannot alter these settings without parental approval.
Key safety features of Teen Accounts include:
- Private by Default: All Teen Accounts are private, and users under 16 need parental permission to make their profiles public.
- Restricted Messaging: Teens can only receive direct messages from people they already follow.
- Sensitive Content Control: Teens are automatically shielded from viewing explicit or age-inappropriate material on Search, Explore, Feed, and Reels.
- Limited Interactions: Only people teens follow can tag or mention them, and Instagram’s Hidden Words anti-bullying feature is enabled by default.
- Daily Time Reminders: Teen users receive nudges to exit the app after 60 minutes of daily screen time.
- Sleep Mode: Active between 10 PM and 7 AM, this feature mutes notifications and enables auto-replies to messages overnight.
“We’re excited to bring these features to Nigeria and help families navigate online spaces safely. Teen Accounts are designed to give parents peace of mind, allowing teens to connect with friends and explore interests without worrying about unsafe experiences,” said Sylvia Musalagani, Safety Policy Manager for Africa, Middle East & Turkey (AMET) at Meta.
Since the global introduction of Teen Accounts in September 2024, Meta has enrolled 54 million teenagers into the new settings, with 97% of users aged 13–15 maintaining the default strict safety configurations.
To enhance oversight, Meta also introduced expanded parental supervision tools:
- View teen interactions: Parents can see the accounts their teen has messaged in the past seven days (without access to message content).
- Set time limits: Instagram access can be restricted once the daily time cap is met.
- Schedule downtimes: Parents can block Instagram use during certain hours like school or bedtime.
- Monitor interests: Parents can view the general categories and topics their teen is following.
Reacting to the development, Barr. Emmanuel Edet, Director of Regulations and Compliance at NITDA, said the new policy aligns with Nigeria’s strategic efforts in digital safety.
“Meta’s new policy aligns with several core priorities outlined in NITDA’s strategic roadmap, particularly concerning data privacy and protection for minors, now under the purview of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission, and child online protection and digital well-being, which we have collaboratively addressed with our sister agency, the Nigerian Communications Commission,” Edet stated.
He added that the initiative supports NITDA’s ongoing work on the proposed Online Harms Protection Bill, which focuses on age verification, digital well-being, and parental controls.
To celebrate the rollout, Meta hosted an exclusive launch event, bringing together parents, content creators, media professionals, policy leaders, and teen influencers to engage with the platform’s updated safety features.
