Instagram is adopting the MPA’s ratings system for its own content. The app said it is revamping Instagram’s Teen Accounts to be “guided” by the Motion Picture Association’s PG-13 movie rating. Users of teen accounts will only be able to see content they would see in a PG-13 movie. Teen accounts are available to kids ages 13-17, who can set up an account that is supervised by a parent (who must be over 18 years old). In a statement on its blog, Instagram explained: “While Teen Accounts already have built-in protections, we understand that inappropriate content remains a top concern for parents – and that our existing content settings can feel confusing. We wanted to more closely align with an external standard parents are more familiar with, to provide clarity and peace of mind that when their teen is on Instagram, they’re seeing content similar to what they’d see in a PG-13 movie by default.” This new guideline has already been put into place.
Meanwhile…the MPA is miffed that Instagram has co-opted its ratings system. In a statement, MPA chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said “The Motion Picture Association was not contacted by Meta prior to the announcement of its new content moderation tool for Instagram Teen Accounts. We welcome efforts to protect kids from content that may not be appropriate for them, but assertions that Instagram’s new tool will be ‘guided by PG-13 movie ratings’ or have any connection to the film industry’s rating system are inaccurate.”
As a parent, I like the idea. The fact they basically stole the MPA system though… wonder if this will end up in a court room instead of on a reel.
