Instagram Takes a Cue From the MPA: Teen Accounts Now Guided By PG-13 Rating
Instagram is taking a cue from the Motion Picture Association. The Meta-owned social platform said Tuesday that moving forward its teen accounts “will be guided” by the MPA’s PG-13 rating, which limits language, drug use, violence, nudity and other mature themes. The rationale for using the familiar rating is to help parents and kids understand…
Instagram is taking a cue from the Motion Picture Association.
The Meta-owned social platform said Tuesday that moving forward its teen accounts “will be guided” by the MPA’s PG-13 rating, which limits language, drug use, violence, nudity and other mature themes.
The rationale for using the familiar rating is to help parents and kids understand what is being limited by the platform.
“We decided to more closely align our policies with an independent standard that parents are familiar with, so we reviewed our age-appropriate guidelines against PG-13 movie ratings and updated them accordingly,” the company wrote in a blog post. “While of course there are differences between movies and social media, we made these changes so teens’ experiences in the 13+ setting feel closer to the Instagram equivalent of watching a PG-13 movie.”
“Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear some strong language in a PG-13 movie, teens may occasionally see something like that on Instagram – but we’re going to keep doing all we can to keep those instances as rare as possible,” the company continued.
Of course, Instagram is not a movie theater. Every movie is submitted for a rating, which is reviewed by a panel which determines whether it is rated PG, PG-13, R, etc. That is not feasible on Instagram, with its more than three billion monthly active users posting content every second of every day. There is also no indication that the change is being done in coordination with the MPA, rather this is about framing the content rules for users.
That mean that it will need to rely on its AI-driven content detection system to make the determinations for it.
The platform already limited sexually suggestive content, graphic or disturbing content, or content that featured alcohol or drug use, but will now go further to include risky stunts, drug paraphernalia, and strong language. They will also launch a limited content mode, which restricts things ever further for parents that want extra protection.
Instagram says the changes will roll out gradually, starting in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, and other markets by the end of the year.
