Instagram’s Teen Mode: Tara Hopkins Speaks On Age Checks, Misinformation, And Protecting Young Minds

When I sat down with Tara Hopkins, global director of public policy at Instagram, the conversation quickly steered to what she calls ‘one of the most important projects’ her team is working on – how Instagram manages its new feature, ‘Teen Accounts’.

Hopkins didn’t mince words. “Teen accounts are central to how we are going to develop Instagram for young users,” she says.

The platform, now a staple in the daily lives of millions of users, many of whom are teenagers, has been under the pressure to strike the right balance between engagement and safety. And Instagram, she says, is rethinking how to verify age and control the experience of teens on the app.

Age Assurance: More than Just a Tick Box

Hopkins explains that the platform has ‘multiple layers’ of age assurance, starting right from the sign-up page.

“We ask for your age when you first join Instagram. But we know some teens lie about it, so if we detect suspicious activity, like changing your age right after sign-up, we ask for ID verification,” she says.

In case any account is reported to Instagram, the platform puts it through an age verification check. “So the human reviewer who’s reviewing the account will look to see whether the age that the person has told us matches with the signals that we see on their account,” she explains.

The IDs, she points out, could be anything from a national identity card (such as Aadhaar in India) to a student ID or library card. We don’t want to exclude anyone, she says, especially young people who might not have access to formal IDs.

But what happens when a user doesn’t have any form of ID? Hopkins says that’s where the video selfie comes in, one of the most talked-about features of Instagram’s age verification strategy.

“Teens prefer this. They already use it on other apps,” she says.

Developed with third party provider Yoti, the technology boasts a claimed 98 per cent accuracy rate. “Yes, make-up can help you look older, but the system compares your video selfie with your existing Instagram photos. If it doesn’t match, we will catch it,” she says.

From Age Checks to Age Prediction

Beyond IDs and video checks, Instagram is testing a new tool in the US: Age Prediction Technology. It uses behavioural signals and other AI tools to assess if someone has misrepresented their age, and then adjusts their account experience accordingly.

The technology will help Instagram find teens who might have lied about their age in the past.

“We place them into the teen account like restrictions once we have got high accuracy,” Hopkins adds.

The roll-out is still in test mode, but Hopkins expects early analysis by this summer, with potential international pilots, including India, towards the end of the year or early next.

“We’re taking our time with this. It’s sensitive, and we want to get it right,” she adds.

Teen Creators and Parent-Managed Accounts: Where It Gets Tricky

But what about teens who are creators, or those whose bios say “managed by parents”? Well, that’s where the waters get murky.

“Even if you’re a teen creator, we place you under the same ‘teen account’ umbrella. The only exception is that creators get extra time to stay public—but only with parental consent,” she says.

“It doesn't matter whether you are a teen creator or whether you are just a regular teen, we still place you in the teen account experience,” she adds.

Parent-managed accounts, on the other hand, are under tighter scrutiny now.

She says: “In cases where a parent is listed, but the content is questionable, we review and take action if needed,” adding that preventing misuse of such accounts is a top priority.

Financial Maturity, Misinformation, and Lifestyle Consumerism

The conversation then veered toward a rising concern on Indian Instagram feeds: financial content (courtesy finfluencers) that could be misleading for anybody, even the teens.

Hopkins listened intently as I shared the example of a 16-year-old who borrowed money to invest in stocks after being influenced by social media.

She was candid: content pushing financial advice to underage users falls under what Instagram calls “regulated goods.” It is treated differently from normal content, and, crucially, it is not recommended to teen users.

“There’s a line between entrepreneurial content and misleading get-rich-quick schemes. If something is flagged as misinformation, it goes to third-party fact-checkers here in India. If confirmed, we remove it. If it’s borderline, we just don’t recommend it to teens,” she says.

The onus, she said, is also on the community. “Reporting is essential. We act based on user reports, if someone comments that a post is fake, or misleading, we take a closer look,” she says.

Even within such protected spaces, consumerism finds a way. Today, teenagers are exposed not just to dance videos or memes, but also subtle, and often relentless, suggestions about the things they should own, wear, or do. Whether it is skincare products promoted by influencers or the allure of luxury sneakers, the digital playground is quickly becoming a marketplace. And that brings up tougher questions for platforms like Instagram.

“We do restrict ads to teens,” Hopkin says, adding that most content that teenagers see is based on the personalisation of their account. Moreover, the platform also restricts ‘borderline content’ to ensure that no false advertisement reaches teens, she adds.

“Teen accounts are not just about safety. They’re about growing up online. And yes, we are aware of the kinds of pressure that come with that,” she adds.

What’s Next?

As we wrapped up, one thing was clear, Instagram is not claiming to have solved teen safety, but it is investing heavily in building new guardrails. From developing nuanced verification systems to filtering financial content and enforcing new standards for parent-managed accounts, the company is navigating a complex, fast-changing landscape.

“Teen accounts are not just a policy feature. They’re the future of how we design Instagram itself,” Hopkins says.

And for Indian users, where the digital exposure among teens is soaring, that future may land sooner than expected.

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