Mumbai: Meta-owned Instagram is stepping up efforts to protect younger users by rolling out new restrictions that align content exposure with PG-13 movie ratings. In a recent blog post, the platform announced that accounts belonging to users under 18 will now default to viewing content suitable for this rating category.
The PG-13 classification, part of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) system, stands for “Parents Strongly Cautioned,” signaling that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Established on July 1, 1984, the rating serves as a middle ground between PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) and R (Restricted), alerting parents to moderate content such as mature themes, moderate violence, brief non-sexual nudity, sensuality, limited profanity, or mild drug references, while avoiding extreme or persistent elements.
Under Instagram’s new framework, a stricter filter called Limited Content will prevent teen users from viewing or commenting on posts that contain inappropriate material. Accounts sharing age-inappropriate content will be automatically restricted: teens will no longer be able to follow such accounts, and if they already do, their interactions with those posts will be blocked.
The platform, which already restricts content related to eating disorders and self-harm, is expanding filters to block additional sensitive words, including “alcohol” and “gore.” Measures have been put in place to ensure teens cannot circumvent the restrictions by using altered spellings or symbols.
The rollout of these measures will begin today in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, with a global implementation planned for 2026. Instagram said the changes are part of ongoing efforts to create a safer online environment for teens while encouraging responsible content consumption.
