Parents can't directly access their child's account on Instagram. Supervision features in some areas allow them to monitor their teen's settings and safety, but their consent is required.
If your child uses Instagram and you want to monitor their activity, Meta has established some rules for this. According to the company, parents cannot directly access the Instagram account of their teen, i.e., a child under the age of 18. According to Instagram's official FAQ, due to privacy laws, the company cannot give unauthorized access to an account to anyone who is not the account owner. Users on Instagram who are 13 years of age or older are considered the authorized account holders of their account. Therefore, parents cannot directly log into their account and view all its information.
Can parents access their child's Instagram account?
Instagram says that parents cannot directly access their teen's account. However, in some countries and regions, local laws allow parents to use additional supervision features.
These features allow parents to better understand and manage their children's Instagram use. In some jurisdictions, the law may also provide parents with additional features, such as the ability to download or edit their child's information.
Supervision on Instagram is a tool that parents and guardians can use to help teens under the age of 18 use the platform safely. It allows parents to view certain settings on their child's Teen Account. Furthermore, if a child wishes to change a setting that could reduce account security, parents can, in some cases, approve or disapprove that change.
Where is the facility of Extra Supervision available?
According to Meta , Instagram's Extra Supervision features are available in certain countries and regions, including Florida, Connecticut, Texas, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, the European Union, Vietnam, and Brazil.
If your teen lives in one of these areas and meets the legal age requirements, parents can set up Extra Supervision features. Meta also offers different app options, including Facebook and Messenger, Instagram, and Meta Horizon. However, parents may need to prove their identity before setting up Supervision features.
You may need to provide ID to verify your identity.
Meta may, in some cases, ask parents for identity verification to ensure the right person is setting up the Supervision feature. This may require a valid government ID or two non-government IDs.
According to Meta, the identity verification process can take up to 48 hours to complete. The company states that the parent ID is stored securely and deleted within 30 days of identity verification completion. This ID is not used for any other purpose, such as serving ads.
Teen's approval is also necessary
Once the parent's identity is confirmed, Meta allows them to invite their teen to set up the Supervision feature. The teen then needs to confirm that the person is their parent or guardian.
If the Teen doesn't accept this request or doesn't respond within 7 days, the Parent can resend the invitation. If the Teen continues to fail to respond or doesn't confirm parenthood, Meta may, in some circumstances, request additional information. For example, the Parent may be asked for information such as the child's birth certificate.
This way, Instagram doesn't give parents direct access to their child's account. Instead, Meta offers features like Supervision in some areas, allowing parents to monitor their teen's Instagram settings and safety activities without having to directly access their entire account.
