What students are saying about Instagram’s parental features and why educators should listen
Be sure to check out the suggested Huddle question at the bottom of this article to discuss this important topic with your students in class, if you feel it is appropriate.
On the heels of lawsuits that claim social media companies can negatively impact student well-being, student privacy is top of mind for educators and families. So, in response, we huddled up with students to get their thoughts on one of Instagram’s features that impacts them directly: The Family Center. This feature allows parents or guardians to view the time spent and activities of teens 13-17 years old on the popular platform. The Family Center feature is meant to provide parents with the tools to manage their teen’s experience on social media, like viewing who they follow and managing their privacy settings.
While this feature is built with students’ safety in mind, some students may feel like the tools invade their privacy, and the feature may do more harm than good. One study found that students who believed their parents were spying on them online were less likely to share information with them. Instead of helicoptering and over-monitoring, when we build strong relationships with students, they are more likely to talk openly to their adult role models about what they’re encountering online. The Family Center feature is part of a larger effort to protect teens on social media, but what does it mean for their privacy, and how can educators empower students to discuss their privacy concerns in productive and healthy ways? Let’s dive in.
The Family Center: Instagram’s parental tools
Pew Research reports that 76% of parents say they prioritize managing their teen’s screen time, and four in 10 parents say this is difficult to do. So, it makes sense that parents would want to use Instagram’s Family Center tools to manage when and how their teen is using Instagram. The Family Center includes multiple tools parents can use to supervise their teen’s activity on the app.
Parents can view how much time their teen spends on Instagram using the Family Center hub on the app. If the parent sets a time limit, teens will be notified that they’ve hit their daily limit and cannot access the app for the rest of the day. Parents can also view both the accounts their teen follows and the accounts that follow them, view their teen’s privacy settings, and be notified when their teen reports someone.
These tools make it easier for parents to manage their teens’ social media experiences. But what do students say?
We huddled up with our student ambassadors to see what they think about Instagram’s parental tools and how they impact their trust and privacy. Check out what they had to say:
“I think that the parental controls have positive AND negative effects. Personally, I don’t think this will be as beneficial for teens as it is stated because teens deserve privacy. I think that if you are allowed Instagram (or any social media), your parents should trust you enough to use your freedom wisely and let you make your own decisions. Also, you cannot have parental controls forever, and you need to make mistakes, make social interactions, and figure out things on your own – it’s simply how you grow. I believe that parental controls can be helpful for younger kids who are just getting Instagram, but teens do deserve freedom and trust.” – Cara, 8th grade
“I believe parents’ guides are important for students’ safety in many ways. But also they can limit children; yes, social media can be dangerous, but some kids need privacy. My parents give me the exact amount of privacy I need, and if I see anything concerning, I trust my parents enough to tell them. I feel as if parental safety features on every app, not just Instagram, are needed in certain situations and for certain ages, but should not be overused.” – Elinor, 10th grade
“As a teen, I get the feeling of wanting privacy in such a crazy time of growth, but there are definitely things that others, especially parents, should know. With social media platforms such as Instagram, where anyone can post anything, monitoring that activity is important. I think that this addition to Instagram is totally necessary. I don’t find it to be an invasion of privacy because it’s put out there in the world where everyone can already see it, and there is so much that even the most mature teens don’t need to see.” – Teagan, 8th grade
“This feature is not meant to be intrusive but to promote positive mental, social, and emotional health among teenagers. By monitoring our behavior, parents and guardians can help us maintain good relationships with friends and family and make better choices.” – Augustine, 10th grade
“Yikes, yeah, really not a fan of that! I feel like how other things in people’s lives deserve privacy, teenagers on social media deserve to have privacy too! I understand parents might be unsure or worried about their kids on social media, but the way to navigate that isn’t to spy on them… maybe have a sit-down conversation. Or don’t allow them to have social media yet if you feel it might be unsafe for your child.” – Vivian, 11th grade
“I think it’s important to have a good balance between privacy and safety of social media, and both being safe and having a space to express yourself are equally important in my mind. I don’t think these tools effectively achieve that goal as I see it, and so I understand the desire on parents’ part to protect their kids, but I don’t think having this sort of control and access over an important outlet for (quite a large number of) people is the right way to go about it.” – Dilan, 10th grade
“I think parents should reasonably use this tool by sitting down with their child and coming to an overall agreement on their approach. By doing this, both perspectives are acknowledged and formulated into the action plan of restriction.” – Jolie, 11th grade
“I do not agree with this approach of parental controls on Instagram as it is overly strict and overbearing to the kids. I don’t think it will benefit children and their use to “relax and engage” with their friends on social media due to their awareness that their parents are always watching. I believe these children will find ways to go against these controls, creating more of a divide between them and their parents.” – Natasha, 11th grade
As one student said, parental controls might encourage students to simply find ways to go against them and dissuade them from sharing their concerns with the adults in their lives. This is why listening to students’ perspectives and building trust with them is so important for both educators and parents. As we know, parental controls don’t last forever, so empowering students with the skills to make high-character decisions as they navigate social media and tech is just as important whether apps have a feature like the Family Center or not.
TSI’s Take
We can tell from our huddles with Student Ambassadors that many students are concerned about their privacy regarding Instagram’s parental features. By acknowledging these concerns and giving students the tools to protect themselves online, we can create a social media environment where adults won’t need to watch over every aspect of students’ online lives and students won’t feel like they are being spied on. When educators understand students’ perspectives on privacy, it’s easier to empower them to navigate social media positively, serving as a foundation for meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and trust.
Check out these tips to discover how we can encourage students to discuss their privacy:
- Foster open communication: Empower students to be open about their experience with social media by creating a safe environment for them to speak up about things they come across. When students are encouraged to talk about their experience with social media, educators can empower them to let their voices be heard. Check out our blog on how educators can amplify student voices.
- Understand privacy settings: Encourage students to stay aware of the privacy settings on their social media apps and empower them to take advantage of them. Educators can encourage students to protect their privacy online through the #WinAtSocial Protect Your Privacy lessons.
- Establish an agreement: Discuss boundaries with parental features on social media both in the classroom and at home. Have students collaborate with educators and parents or guardians to draw up an agreement, like our Family Social Standards Agreement.
With 90% of teens using social media, positively navigating social media and tech is an important skill students need to learn. One step to developing and growing this skill is empowering them to protect their privacy. By encouraging students to speak up about their experiences online, even when those experiences aren’t always positive, we have the opportunity to connect with students on their level and guide them to make high-character decisions in those situations to help create a safer online environment. To explore more ways to emphasize the importance of protecting your privacy online, check out the #WinAtSocial Lesson, Weighing the role of student privacy rights in creating a safer society.
#WinAtSocial Huddle Question
Huddle with your students
The Family Center’s parental features can help keep students safe online, but it’s still important to learn how to protect our privacy. Share with classmates your strategies to protect your privacy when navigating social media!
The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.