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Instagram CEO says Apple, Google are 'trying to avoid their part' in Meta's screen time crackdown

Published: 11 Feb. 2025, 17:51

WOO JI-WON
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Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri speaks on a video call during a press event in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, where he introduced Instagram’s Teen Account feature on Feb. 11. [INSTAGRAM]

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri advocated that Apple and Google make more of teenagers' personal data available, saying the two were “trying to avoid their part” in Meta's ongoing crackdown on underage use in Korea.

“They know how old their users are,” Mosseri said during a virtual press briefing on Instagram's Teen Account feature, which has automatically limited the interactions, notifications and screen time of Korean teenage users since it launched in the country in late January. “They could surface that data to us in a privacy-safe way.”

Mosseri complained that Instagram isn't currently able to access the dates of birth associated with the Apple IDs and Google accounts signed onto teenagers' smartphones — despite the fact that such birthdays, unlike the ones tied to Instagram accounts, are more likely to be accurate, as they're created by parents.

“Both Apple and Google, Android and iOS, have accounts that ask for a birthday when signing up,” the CEO said. “When I get my teen a device, I set up their account. So that birthday is much more trustable.”

He added, "There are number of other ways they can help. But they are trying to avoid their part."

Lee Seul-gee, public policy manager at Meta, confirmed during the latter part of the event that Instagram has reached out to both companies for further discussions but has not yet received a response.

A key concern since the rollout of Teen Accounts has been the method by which Instagram would prevent teenagers from lying about their age.

“We do things like taking a look at each device that an account is using,” said Mosseri, addressing the matter. “If you have a teen account, you can’t just create another account on that same phone and say all of a sudden you're 20 instead of 16.”

Mosseri also said Instagram “could” ask for an ID or conduct facial detection with a third party. “There are a variety of ways we try to prevent people from lying about their age, but there is no perfect solution.” He hinted, however, that Apple and Google could play “an incredibly powerful role” in the process.

Another issue raised since the launch is the potential violation of teenagers' privacy and freedom. The Teen Account feature allows parents to see who their child follows, who follows them, and whom they have chatted with, though they cannot view the content of messages.

Mosseri emphasized the importance of balancing parental control with teen autonomy.

“You need to consider not only the parents' experience but also the teen's experience. If you make the experience too constrained, then teens may try to circumvent the protections. We're looking to find the right balance between empowering parents for making sure we're not unintentionally pushing teens to circumvent the controls,” he said.

Lee Seul-gee, public policy manager at Meta, left, and Danielle Chong, Meta's head of Instagram communications, speak at a press event in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, introducing Instagram’s Teen Account feature. [INSTAGRAM]

Despite potential backlash from teen users, Instagram remains committed to ensuring a safer experience for teens by curating their content exposure.

“For teens, we are much more careful with what content we recommend, whether that is at the account level — what accounts we suggest they follow — or at the content level, such as photos and videos in the Explore or Reels tab,” Mosseri said.

“We are particularly careful with young users, ensuring content is as safe as possible and avoiding anything that might be problematic.”

Instagram said it has introduced many tools, including a feature that allows teens to limit interactions with people they don’t want to associate with, in order to combat online harassment. Mosseri also mentioned the screen time management feature — “Parents can not only see how much time their teens spend on Instagram, but they can also set limits. So they could say you can only have 30, 45, or 60 minutes a day.”

While these measures enhance protection, Mosseri acknowledged that they are not “100 percent” foolproof.

Danielle Chong, Meta's head of Instagram communications, speaks at a press event in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, introducing Instagram’s Teen Account feature. [INSTAGRAM]

Teen Accounts, already in effect for the United States and Australia since their rollout in late 2024, will take several months to fully launch in Korea, with full completion expected by June.

“There are many millions of users who are transitioning over. So we have to do it carefully, methodically and slowly. But we're committed to it and excited about this as a step forward for youth safety online — not just for Instagram, but hopefully for the industry as a whole,” Mosseri said.

He also confirmed that Meta is working on expanding the experience to its other platforms.

“We're working on the other apps as we speak. The idea was to start with Instagram because it’s the more-used platform among young people.”

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]