Instagram will make the accounts of young users "private" by default, and better protected from potential predators, but these measures will not necessarily convince its detractors, worried about the risks associated with the use of social networks for children and teenagers.
From this week, accounts created by young people under the age of 16 (or even 18 in some countries) will be private by default, and existing users will be encouraged to make this choice, without obligation.
Instagram currently requires a minimum legal age of 13 to join, as do Snapchat and TikTok.
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"We believe private accounts are the right choice for young people, but we also recognize that some young creators may want public accounts to build an audience," the photos and videos app said in a statement Tuesday.
"Wherever we can, we want to protect young people from being contacted by adults they don't know (...) and we believe that private accounts are the best way".
These accounts allow their holders to limit interactions ("like", comments, etc.) with users whom they have not added to their contacts.
The Facebook group has also announced that it is limiting advertising targeting to those under the age of 18.
They will only target age, gender and location.
It will no longer analyze their tastes, and their browsing data will no longer be used.
Facebook is studying an Instagram for under 13s
Instagram also announced that it has developed a technology to prevent users who have been "blocked or reported by a young person" from interacting with teenagers or "discovering" their accounts on the platform's crawl threads.
These new measures will be applied in the United States, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and Japan, before being extended beyond.
But they may not reassure the many associations and authorities who associate the social network with many dangers for the mental health of young people.
In May, most states in the US called on Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to drop plans to create an under-13 version of Instagram.
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"Research shows a correlation between the use of social networks and the increase in psychological distress and suicidal behavior among young people," argued the attorneys general of 44 states in a letter to the founder of the Californian giant.
