Instagram is a mobile based photo-sharing app which allows users to share pictures and videos either publicly or privately. It is one of the most popular apps used by children and young people, with over 34 million users in the UK in 2022.
Users can interact with other users on Instagram by following them, commenting on their posts, liking their posts, tagging them, or private messaging them.
Did you know?
Instagram Likes and Views
Instagram users can choose to hide the amount of likes and/or views their posts get, as well as the number of likes on posts by other users. This feature was introduced in June 2021 by the platform to combat the pressure many social media users feel to get more likes, shares, or views on their posts.
When users choose to use this feature, they will see a username followed by ‘and others’ instead of a number. This is also what other users will see.
There are over 100 million uploads to Instagram every day.
Keep in mind that when your profile is created and set to public, anyone can find and view your profile, along with all your photos and videos.
Instagram’s default screen is your Newsfeed, where you can view posts from the people and #Hashtags you follow. From the Newsfeed screen you can navigate to the different screens including Direct Messages, Camera, Search, Notifications, and your Profile.
Core Functions
- Users post images and videos on their profile. Instagram has an extensive range of filters that allow them to edit the brightness, contrast, and structure. For videos, users can trim them and select a cover frame.
- Users post ‘Stories’ to their account. They can see the stories of people they follow in the circles at the top of their newsfeed. By tapping any one of these circles, users are able to see that user's story or stories that they published over the last 24 hours. There is also a ‘Close Friend’ option that allows users to send private stories to a select group of friends.
- Users can send direct messages (known as DMs) to other users. If a profile is set to private, users cannot directly message until they have accepted their follow request. Messages will be filtered into ‘Requests’. If a profile is public, then any other user may send them a direct message.
- Instagram live allows users to broadcast their stories live. Once users have finished broadcasting, these videos can be saved to profiles for 24 hours. If not saved, it will disappear.
- Instagram Reels is a the video format available to Instagram users within the app. Reels can be up to 60 seconds long and appear on a user’s profile.
Take a Break Feature
- Users can choose to enable the feature and select to be alerted to ‘Take a Break’ after 10, 20, or 30 minutes.
- Users will be prompted to turn on these reminders on when they open the app. During beta testing of the feature, around 90% of users kept the reminders enabled.
- Users will be given a list of alternative activities to do on the break, such as ‘go for a walk’, ‘listen to some music’, or ‘write down what you’re thinking’. Nudges are also used to stop users from spending too much time viewing posts related to a specific topic.
Age Requirements
Instagram requires everyone to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account, but users can enter a fake date of birth to bypass this requirement.
Our research has found that there are many people under the age of 13 who have Instagram profiles. If there is a young person in your care who is under the age of 13, talk to them about Instagram and the importance of age restrictions.
There is a ‘Sensitive Content Control’ setting for users to control the type of potentially upsetting content they see. This is split into three levels of ‘More’, ‘Standard’, and ‘Less’ which are on default depending on the age of the user. Ensuring any child or young person is on ‘less’ will require their date of birth to be correct upon registration.
Risks
- The bio section of each profile is always public, no matter the user’s age.
- Instagram direct messaging lets users send pictures and videos that disappear after they have been viewed for the first time. Users can't recover or view any disappearing photos or videos they have sent. They can however see if they have been delivered, opened, or screenshotted.
- If a profile is set to public, anyone can send that user a direct message.
- Users can configure their Instagram account to have photos posted on other social media networks. If these sharing configurations are all switched on, then all Instagram photos will automatically be posted to selected social networks after the user presses 'Share'.
- People who a user follows, or have had a previous chat with, can see when they were last active in the direct messages section on the app. This setting can be switched off. If a user chooses to switch this feature off, they will not be able to see when other people were last online either.
- Users can add a location tag to both their profile posts and stories, sharing the location to their followers. These posts may also be chosen to be shared publicly into a Story containing a range of posts from that location. This can be found in the ‘Search’ page.
- We always recommend that users under the age of 18 don’t share their locations publicly.
Safety Settings
- Profiles should be set to private. This will mean people will have to send a request in order to follow the account.
- Turn off location sharing settings.
- Any app which has a livestreaming feature presents unique risks. Please refer to the Livestreaming section of this app for more detail on the how to stay safe while livestreaming.
- Users can block offensive comments.
Top Tips
- Block or mute any users that are not a positive influence.
- Instagram has a ‘Close Friends’ feature, which allows users to select a number of friends labelled close. This adds another layer of privacy to a user’s posts if they wish.
- Ensure young people and children in your care are aware of the risks involved with livestreaming.
- Many users make money from social media and especially Instagram as ‘influencers’. Make sure young people and children understand that this is not an accurate depiction of reality.
Deleting or deactivating your Instagram account
If a user finds they are spending too much time on Instagram, they can deactivate or permanently delete their account. When they deactivate their profile, posts, comments, and likes will be hidden until they login again. When they permanently delete their account, it’s no longer possible to log in or restore any of their information. Their profile, posts, comments and likes will be permanently deleted.
They can download a copy of their Instagram data and activity before deactivating or deleting their account. This can take up to 48 hours.