Meta adds new features to Instagram for better parental controls along with supervision in the Metaverse

• Instagram is getting more parental control features.
• Parents can now send invitations to supervise teens and can set time limit for Instagram usage.
• Teens will also see new notifications to discover a different topic if they're repeatedly looking at the same type of content.

Back in March 2022, Meta announced its first set of parental controls allowing parents to view how much time their children are spending on the social network.

Today, via blogpost, Meta has announced a set of new tools and resources for parents and teens using Metaverse. The new tools give parents more control over the photo-sharing app by setting limits on hours of Instagram usage. Similar features are also introduced to its VR product - Quest headsets.

Currently, new parental control will be rolled out in the US and will arrive in other countries such as Japan, the UK, and Australia in the coming months. These tools should be available globally by the end of the year, Meta said.

Instagram updates
Instagram launched its first parental control in March which allowed parents to the amount of time their children are spending on the app. Parents could set the time limits and view what accounts their children are following. Also, children could notify their parents about inappropriate behaviour faced on Instagram.

The latest update lets parents make requests to their children to initiate supervision tools, earlier only children could send the invite. Children can also revoke parental-control permission any time but doing so will send a notification to the parents.

Now, parents can set specific times during a day or week to limit their Instagram use. They will also be able to see more information about accounts or posts which was reported by their children.

Meta also rolled out a notifications feature to encourage kids to switch topics if they are viewing the same content for 30 minutes. But this new notification feature comes with a limitation. Children can ignore the prompt and continue to explore the same content.

Parental supervision for Metaverse
Meta’s new parental-supervision tools for Quest VR headsets automatically blocks teen from making app downloads based on their age rating. If children wish to buy apps or games over their age limits such as 16+ or 18+ they have to send an ‘Ask to Buy’ request to their parents for approval or denial.

Parents can view notifications through the Oculus smartphone app. Further, parents can also see how much time their children are spending in virtual reality.

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