More Instagram posts are hidden from users under 18, and they also can't search for "alcohol," "gore" or other newly prohibited topics. While teen accounts already hid or prohibit the recommendation of sexually suggestive content, graphic or disturbing images, and adult content such as smoking or drinking, the new version give parents stronger controls. Risky stunts and marijuana paraphernalia now are part of the filtered-out content for young users. "We made these changes so teens' experience in the 13+ setting feels closer to the Instagram equivalent of watching a PG-13 movie," says Meta, the site's owner. "We know teens may try to avoid these restrictions, which is why we'll use age prediction technology to place teens into certain content protections — even if they claim to be adults."

Users under 18 are automatically placed into the setting introduced last week in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. They come to Europe and the rest of the world early next year. (Teens can opt out with parental permission.) In addition, if an adult Instagram account regularly shares age-inappropriate posts, the company will block all teen accounts from being able to see or chat with that account. Celebrity pages are included in the new "age-gating" barrier. Moreover, the app now shows parents information about topics that teens discus with AI characters and lets parents block specific AI access or all of it.

The moves come after a study by a former Meta engineer and researchers from two universities recently said that 64 percent of earlier safety tools on Instagram were ineffective. That followed years of controversy around CEO Mark Zuckerberg's company and how minors are treated on his platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

In Denmark, a European country, safety concerns about social media are so strong that its government wants to ban several platforms for those under the age of 15. "Mobile phones and social media are stealing our children's childhood. We have unleashed a monster," the prime minister told Parliament this month in Copenhagen. She urged the elected politicians to "tighten the law so that we take better care of our children here in Denmark." A citizen's initiative last year gathered 50,000 signatures endorsing a ban on TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.

Company says: "This is the most significant update to teen accounts since we introduced them last year. . . . We're also offering parents new ways to share feedback, including the ability to report content they think teens shouldn't see."

Past Meta insider says: "Kids are not safe on Instagram." -- Arturo Béjar, who quit in 2021 as a senior engineer

British expert says: "Time and again, Meta’s PR announcements do not result in meaningful safety updates for teens. As the recent report revealed, they still have work to do to protect them from the most harmful content." -- Rowan Ferguson, policy manager at the Molly Rose Foundation, a suicide prevention nonprofit in London