Two things you need to be on this viral photo-sharing app – Safe and Responsible. Safe in terms of your physical safety and responsible in terms of mindful consumption.
Here are 6 ways to monitor conscious consumption of Instagram, for teenagers: (and sometimes all age groups)
1. Manage screen time with alerts
Karina Newton, the head of Public Policy at Instagram tells yourteenmag, “Parents should talk with their teens about how much time they’re spending online. One of the things we introduced last year was a “time spent” dashboard so people could see how much time they’re spending. You can also set alerts. My alert, for instance, is set to 24 minutes. When I exceed that time, Instagram sends an alert.” Keep a healthy screen-time.
2. Public or Private account?
A private account gives you the control on who sees your profile. “That really protects your experience,” says Newton.
Making your account public can help a larger audience reach you. If a teenager wants to post about their talent or work, a public account can be beneficial so that the right people can get in touch with you“and that might be a reason to have a public account.”
It’s a matter of discussion with you and your teenager. Similarly, they should also discuss geo-tagging of photos. If you decide there’s no good reason for people to know where you are, do not geo-tag your pictures.
3. Use keyword filters to block unwanted comments
“You can now select who you allow comments from,” says Newton. “We also have a custom keyword filter where you can block anybody from leaving a comment that has particular words you have chosen.” Parents and teens can discuss together what words might make sense to block. For example, certain words might trigger a negative reaction for a teen struggling with an eating disorder or anxiety.
4. You can report bad behavior anonymously
If you or your teenager wish to report cyber-bullying or passing of abusive language, you can report it staying anonymous. “There is zero way for anyone to find out who reported whom,” says Newton. “And we notice a lot of reporting is done by bystanders, not the individual who is being bullied.”
So remind your kids: If you see something, say something.
5. Preview all Direct Messages (DM’s)
If you receive a direct message from someone who doesn’t follow you on Instagram, it will go to a pending folder and must be approved before coming to your inbox, says Newton. Talk to your teen about how to handle this scenario. You may decide, “If there is a direct message coming from someone they don’t know they should either ignore it or report it,” she says.
6. Create a smaller community to share more privately
Some teens choose to create a “finsta,” or fake Instagram account. In reality, it is just a smaller community of friends they choose to share things with more privately. (Ironically, it’s often the more ‘real’ of the two accounts they have.)
Now, Instagram offers a way to build that smaller community, by designating a group called Close Friends. No one can share the content outside of that group with another user, and only the person who creates the group can add users to it. “Maybe you know most of your classmates follow you on Instagram, but you only want to share the fact that you’re really struggling with studying for this one test with a select group, or you only want to share your pre-makeup look with a certain group,” says Newton.
7. Share and read news responsibly
Never share fake news or things that could (potentially) happen. Only read and share news from credible sources like official local, national, or international news pages.
8. Use Your Profile to Highlight Your Skills and Expertise
We don’t mean faking a perfect life. Instead, use social media platforms to your advantage. For instance, turn your profile into a portfolio. Showcase your character, skills, and expertise. Instagram provides many ways to put out your talent in forms of pictures. Maybe showcase your singing through IGTV, create fun dance videos on reels, talk about what you want through Instagram guides or update your friends on what’s happening through stories.
*We do not advocate any kind of pressure or password sharing othe than the Instagram user themselves*
And always! When in doubt, – don’t post. It’s better to be safe than sorry. @itp.live