Meta is introducing new privacy settings on Instagram, making teen accounts private by default to enhance safety. The changes, effective in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, will impact users under 18,

As parent company Meta faces dozens of lawsuits and a push for restrictions from Congress, it rolls out a safety measure that critics find wanting.

Teenagers on Instagram will soon be automatically placed in a new type of account with built-in privacy restrictions that give parents more control.

Starting today, Instagram will begin putting new and existing users under the age of 18 into “Teen Accounts” — a move that will affect how tens of millions of teens interact with the platform. The new account type automatically applies a set of protections to young users, and only users 16 years of age and older can loosen some of these settings.

Beginning Tuesday in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, anyone under 18 who signs up for Instagram will be placed into restrictive teen accounts and those with existing accounts will be migrated over the next 60 days.

Meta is restricting content, enforcing time limits, and handing control back to parents. Will the changes make younger users safer on social media?