Instagram Intensifies Efforts to Win Back Teens

According to a report by The Washington Post, Instagram is pursuing a far reaching plan to draw teenagers back to the app after years of slipping engagement among young users.

Internal company documents reviewed by the publication show that Meta’s leadership made boosting teen activity on Instagram a top strategic priority, even ahead of growth for its newer social app Threads.

According to the leaked material, Instagram initiated an internal campaign as early as late 2023 to reverse declines in teen signups and daily usage, particularly in key developed markets like the United States and Europe. Executives including Instagram chief Adam Mosseri instructed teams to focus intensely on young users with the goal of not only halting the decline, but also surpassing rival platforms that have captured much of the teenage attention.

Internal documents describe a range of tactical efforts aimed at making Instagram more appealing to teens. These included boosting content discovery among teen users, helping them find friends more easily on the platform, adjusting algorithms to surface content likely to resonate with youthful interests and showcasing teen friendly influencers.

Meta even created internal exhibits to help employees better understand teen culture and habits, aiming to align its products more closely with how younger users interact and share online.

Instagram’s push to win back teens has unfolded against a backdrop of intense legal scrutiny. Earlier this year, attorneys general from more than 40 U.S. states filed lawsuits alleging that the company’s platforms contribute to addiction and mental health harms among adolescents. Criticism from advocacy groups and researchers has also highlighted weaknesses in Instagram’s teen safety system.

In response to these challenges, Meta has expanded what it calls Teen Accounts, settings designed to limit exposure to inappropriate content and give parents greater control over their children’s use of the app.

Recent updates to Teen Accounts are guided by standards similar to PG-13 movie ratings, aiming to restrict teens under 18 from seeing material that features explicit language, drugs or dangerous behavior unless a parent opts out.