Age Group Recommendations

I mentioned earlier that a child needs to be 12+ to open an Instagram account.  Like I tell any parent that I speak to in regards to how old a child must be to have a social media account- just because an age has been specified, doesn’t mean that your child is ready to have an account.  Ask yourself if you think your child is mature enough to consider the type of pictures that they are posting.  How would they react to an unkind comment or if their photo received no likes?  Consider your child as an individual.  If you have to say no to creating account, then you need to explain why AND put a plan in place to help your child get ready.  There are scores of videos available on the internet that speak directly to children about internet safety and social media.  Sit with them, watch them, discuss them until you feel like they have a good handle on online behaviour.

If you have already helped your child to create an Instagram account or you think they are ready for one, then I urge you to address the following:

Privacy Settings

When you create an account, it is automatically set to public.  Go into the Instagram account on the device they are using and set the account to Private.  You cannot change this setting from a desktop or laptop computer using a browser.

When you set the account to Private, it means that people must request to follow your child’s account.  They will only be able to see the photos your child is posting after their request has been accepted.  Talk to your child about not accepting requests from people that they don’t know.  If they are unsure, they should bring the device to you so that you can discuss it together.

On the matter of privacy, create a healthy password with your child (not the dog’s name or family birthdates) and ensure that you can remember it. Remind your child that they should not give their password to anyone – not even their best friend.

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Profile Picture

Even if your child’s account is set to private, everybody (not just their followers) can see their profile picture. Since this is the case, it would be best to encourage your child to select a picture that is not of themselves.  And while we are looking at profiles, please don’t let your child setup their account using their own name.  Make up a nick name.

Location Share

Turn off the location settings on any devices that your child used their Instagram account on. If it is turned on, Instagram will ask if you wish to publish the location when posting pictures – we don’t want kids accidentally touching allow.

Following and Followers

Whilst your child’s Instagram account is set to private, other users must request to follow their photos.  This give your child an opportunity to only select people they know to see their photos.  It is important also, to discuss with your child that they should be careful with who they choose to follow.  If they randomly select hundreds of people to follow, it is possible that inappropriate images will appear in their feed.

Parents – spot check your child’s account

Be sure to look at your child’s Instagram account regularly.  Look to see what photos they are posting and the types of comments they are receiving. Look through the people who are following them and who they are following.  Remind them that their followers could take a snapshot of their Instagram photos and share them with groups of people outside of their followers and on other social media platforms.  Discuss with them what is acceptable and help them to understand that as they post (pictures or comments) they are building a digital footprint. It is also worth looking at their what their friends are posting. It is possible that they have a photo of your child and that they have posted it on their account which may not be private.  

FINSTAGRAM

Finstagram is a fake Instagram account.  This is separate to a real Instagram (Ringstagram) account and is often used to post photos that kids don’t want their parents to see in their real Instagram account.

There are two way that you can try and find out if your child has a finstagram account.

1 Ask them if they have created another Instagram account

2 Last year, Instagram introduced a feature that allows you to toggle between accounts without having to sign out of one and into another. Go into the account and look next to their name.  If there is an arrow, this is where they are able to add and access another account

It is important to point out that there are also benefits to using social media.  It can help kids strengthen friendships, give them a sense of belonging, make them feel supported and help to expose them to important worldwide issues.

Create your own Instagram account so that you can become comfortable with how it works (and don’t forget to ‘follow’ your child!)