Every parent with a child on social media shares similar concerns: who is my child talking to? What content are they seeing? How much time are they spending in this space? Meta has now attempted to address some of these concerns.

Meta has launched a new 13+ content feature in the Middle East and North Africa region. This feature automatically places all users under the age of 18 into revised 13+ content settings to limit their exposure to sensitive or harmful content.

This move follows the launch of Instagram Teen Accounts in September 2024 and has now entered a new phase through a strategic partnership between Meta and Creators HQ in the UAE.

Creators HQ, the first dedicated hub for content creators in the UAE and the Middle East, announced its partnership with Meta on May 18 to promote digital safety on Instagram. This collaboration, the first of its kind in the MENA region, focuses on increasing parental awareness and protecting young users from harmful online content.

As part of this partnership, Meta and Creators HQ will implement a series of initiatives regarding parental supervision tools and teen safety, while expanding the use of the Teen Accounts feature.

What are Teen Accounts?

Teen Accounts are not a separate application but are activated within the standard Instagram experience. According to Nadia Diab Caseres, Head of Public Policy for Instagram in the MENA region, teenagers do not want to be in a space where they are treated like children; they want independence, but they must also have appropriate protections.

These protections are enabled by default. Users under the age of 16 require parental permission to reduce restrictions, while 16 to 17-year-olds can change some settings themselves unless their account is under parental supervision.

Six main features of Instagram Teen Accounts

Teen Accounts are private by default. Users under 16 will be moved to private mode even if they have a public account, and they must have parental permission to change it.

Direct messages are also restricted, and teenagers can only receive messages from accounts they follow or have previously interacted with.

Instagram reminds teenagers to close the app after 60 minutes of daily use.

Accounts are automatically set to a 13+ content filter, which limits the type of content, comments, profiles, and messages visible to teenagers. Parents who want more protection can enable the Limited Content option to apply stricter restrictions.

In the tags and mentions section, teenagers can only be tagged or mentioned by people they follow.

The Sleep Mode feature also mutes notifications between 10 PM and 7 AM, enables automatic replies to messages, and reminds teenagers to close the app.

Alignment with the UAE Child Digital Safety Law

This move coincides with the implementation of the Child Digital Safety Law in the UAE, which came into effect on January 1, 2026, aiming to provide greater protection for children in the digital space.

The law targets harmful content, excessive screen time, and the collection of children's personal data, covering platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitch.

International platforms have one year to align with these regulations; otherwise, they may face restrictions or blocking in the UAE.

This partnership also coincides with the Year of the Family in the UAE. Alia Al Hammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office and CEO of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, stated that children's digital safety is not just a national initiative but a national dialogue, especially in a region where more than half of the GCC youth are under 25 and platforms like Instagram play a significant role in their daily lives.