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Instagram teen accounts in UAE: Some residents afraid kids might use 'hacks' to escape controls
Some experts feel the new initiative may be a 'bandage solution' to a complex issue
Parents in the UAE have greeted with cautious optimism the move by tech giant Meta to roll out teen accounts with privacy and parental controls.
On Tuesday, Instagram announced that it will implement new settings that will automatically make millions of accounts by teenagers private and will restrict the kind of content they can access on the app.
“It’s a necessary step in the right direction,” said Zoltan Rendes from Dubai-based SunMoney Solar Group, who is a father to a 13-year-old. “Right now, it’s like the Wild West out there — anything goes. There’s a serious need for robust regulations to shield young users from inappropriate content, scams, and extreme viewpoints.”
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According to the official Instagram page, the new updates are designed to give parents “peace of mind that their teens are safe”, and to enhance teenagers' experience by giving them access to a new feature that “that lets them select topics they want to see more of”.
Zoltan Rendes
However, some teenagers in the UAE said they didn’t see the point of the change. “I understand the reasoning behind it but it also rubs me the wrong way when I see kids as young as 6 or 7 using social media,” said 16-year-old Rhea Nihalani. “I don’t think the new rule will be as effective as it intends to be. By supervising and limiting what teens can access and put on the internet to ages as old as 15, I feel like we are just giving them more reason to use it aggressively once they pass that age.”
“Bandage Solution”
The move by Meta comes after years of pressure from various groups to do more to protect teens. However, Omer Khan, Founder and CEO of mental health platform Helply described the move as a “bandage solution” to a complex issue.
“From a psychological perspective, giving teens more control over their privacy settings can reduce their exposure to harmful content, bullying, and unsolicited messages,” he said.
Omer Khan
“However, this doesn't completely solve the underlying issues. Even with privacy settings, teens might still experience feelings of social comparison — a major contributor to mental health issues. Seeing curated versions of their peers' lives can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Simply reducing exposure to certain content won't address this deeper psychological issue inherent in the nature of social media itself,” he added.
Misha Akbar, the founder of Sama Health, said that as a mental health practitioner and mother to a teenager, she took the news with a “grain of salt”. “While these tools are a positive step, they're just one piece of the puzzle,” she said. “As parents, we must go beyond just setting restrictions and have honest conversations with our teens about how social media impacts their mental health. It's about giving them the knowledge and confidence to navigate their online lives.”
She said she was curious to see how teens would react. “I think it is important to have a balance without coming across as too restrictive,” she said. “It still remains to be seen how teens will receive this news. My son seemed indifferent, perhaps because we set the boundaries and rules early on.”
Misha Akbar
Whack-a-mole effect
According to Omar, the move could backfire and create a “whack-a-mole effect”, causing teenagers to move to other platforms. “One of the unintended consequences could be that teens migrate to other, less policed platforms,” he said. “We've seen this pattern before, with platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, and others gaining popularity among younger audiences who want less oversight.”
He said this could lead to even greater risks. “Teens could constantly shift between platforms, making it more challenging for parents, regulators, and tech companies to keep up,” he said. “These less-policed platforms may have fewer safeguards in place, which could ultimately expose teens to even greater risks."
Misha said teens would look for ways to push the boundaries and “develop hacks” because they naturally seek independence.
Zoltan said it was important for parents to watch out for “red flags” as far as their teens’ online behaviour was concerned. “If kids feel like they need to leave Instagram to escape these controls, it probably means they’re engaging in something they don’t want their parents involved in, and that’s worth looking into,” he said.
“Ultimately, while some might shift to other platforms, this should prompt a broader conversation about how parents regulate their child’s entire online experience, not just one platform. Restrictions should be part of an overall strategy, not just a quick fix on Instagram.”
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