'Mom influencers' being locked out of Instagram as platform cracks down on child privacy

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'Mom influencers' being locked out of Instagram as platform cracks down on child privacy

Published: 19 Nov. 2024, 19:08 Updated: 20 Nov. 2024, 13:26

PARK EUN-JEE
[email protected]

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

An account of a popular influencer whose account was briefly blocked by Instagram [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The accounts of Korean Instagram users whose accounts contain photos of children have been forcibly turned private or locked in recent days, sparking a flood of online complaints, just two months after Meta introduced measures aimed at curbing children's use of its platforms.

The incident reflects the challenges facing social media giants in their efforts to protect children, as their AI systems often have limited ability to discern the identity of account holders.

A member of an online forum for mothers in Daegu asked about how to bring back an account, which she claimed to use as a “parenting diary,” in a post uploaded Nov. 17.

A user on an another parenting forum with 3.4 million members said she'd purposely removed pictures to avoid the same fate.

In Korea, it is not uncommon for parents to run separate accounts devoted to their young children primarily for the purpose of record-keeping. Another group who claiming to have been impacted by the measure is “mom influencers” who share child rearing tips and family lives.

Some accounts had been restored as of Tuesday, including lovtaeha, a family-oriented account run by a mother that currently has 990,000 followers.

Instagram recently introduced a package of measures aimed at beefing up privacy and restraining social media’s damaging effects on minors.

At the time, Instagram said the accounts of users younger than 18 would be made private by default to exclusively grant followers access to their content.

Other measures announced in September include enhancing parental supervision and set messaging restrictions as the default.

Instagram's online help center states that accounts managed by a parent or manger "must clearly state in the account's bio that the account is managed by a parent or manager." Users wishing to restore access to a disabled account can request that Instagram review the decision within the app after entering their login credentials, according to the help center.

Meta's policies prohibit children younger than 14 from using the platform in Korea.

“We are currently assessing the situation with our parent company,” a Meta Korea spokesperson told the Korea JoongAng Daily.

BY PARK EUN-JEE, CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]