Instagram Updates & Release Notes

We want teens to have age-appropriate experiences with AI and to keep parents informed if we become aware that their teen may be in distress. Today we’re announcing additional protections to help make sure that, when it comes to sensitive conversations related to suicide and self-harm, we’re responding in the right way. This means acknowledging teens’ feelings while helping them get the offline support they need — whether that’s from a parent, a professional helpline, or the emergency services.

When a teen suggests they may be thinking about suicide or self-harm, Meta AI already directs them to crisis helplines and encourages them to reach out to a parent or another trusted adult like a counselor. Now, we’ll also proactively alert supervising parents if their teen’s Meta AI chat suggests they may be at risk, based on signals developed with experts. We’ll share expert resources to help parents approach these conversations with their teens.

We worked with parents and experts to understand which AI conversations warrant an alert — such as those where a teen makes a clear reference to hurting themselves, even if that reference is subtle. We then built a dedicated AI system to identify these conversations.

We understand how distressing these alerts may be for a parent to receive. That’s why, as we continue to improve our detection, all chats flagged by our AI will be manually reviewed before an alert is sent. If a teen’s intent is ambiguous, we’ll err on the side of caution and alert the parent. While that means we may sometimes notify parents when there may not be real cause for concern, we feel this is the right starting point, and we’ll continue to monitor to help make sure we’re in the right place.

“While I believe that teens have a right to privacy, I also believe parents need to be informed if their teen may be at risk of hurting themselves. That’s why I advocated for this approach and support Meta’s decision to notify parents when, after careful review, it determines that a conversation with Meta AI contains indications of possible suicide or self-harm that warrant an alert. I appreciate how Meta struck the right balance; protecting teen privacy while ensuring parents have the information they need to support their teen.”
— Larry Magid, CEO and Co-Founder of ConnectSafely

These alerts are live now for parents using Instagram parental supervision in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, and will be available for supervising parents globally by the end of the year. They build on the alerts we already send supervising parents if their teen repeatedly searches for suicide or self-harm terms on Instagram within a short space of time.

We’re building the ability to contact emergency services if someone’s conversation — whether an adult or a teen — with Meta AI suggests that they may be at imminent risk of taking their own life. This builds on the work we already do across Facebook and Instagram: when we become aware of a post suggesting a credible risk of suicide, we alert emergency services. Last year, we made over 19,000 such referrals around the world, helping first responders perform wellness checks on people who may be at risk of suicide.

In addition to ongoing consultation with our AI Wellbeing Expert Council, Suicide and Self-Harm Advisory Group, and Youth Advisors, we sought feedback from over 75 mental health clinicians on how Meta AI responds to teens’ prompts about suicide and self-harm. These clinicians, who all specialize in teen mental health, reviewed AI responses to hundreds of prompts and provided feedback on whether they were appropriate for teens, what worked well, and how they could be improved.

We’re using that feedback to further improve how Meta AI interacts with teens on these sensitive topics — for example by making sure that Meta AI acknowledges the teens’ feelings when directing them to support resources, and doesn’t shut the conversation down too abruptly.

“I was struck by the rigor of Meta’s clinical review process. It examined not only immediate responses to suicide and self-harm concerns, but also the broader conversational context, appropriate follow-up, and the varying levels of risk that can exist even within high-risk situations. This kind of expert-informed, scenario-based refinement is essential to making AI experiences safer for teens.”
— Dr. Ji-yeon Lee, Licensed Psychologist (USA) and Professor of Counseling Psychology at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (S. Korea)

Teen Accounts are automatically placed into a 13+ content setting, which also applies to conversations with Meta AI. In this default 13+ setting, Meta AI is designed to give age-appropriate responses and not comply with sensitive prompts. For example, Meta AI is trained not to engage in sexual or romantic conversations with teens or provide recipes for alcoholic drinks, directing teens to safer topics instead.

In October, we announced Limited Content as a stricter content setting for parents who prefer a more restrictive experience for their teens on Instagram — and now that stricter setting will apply to AI experiences too. This means that when parents opt their teens into the Limited Content setting on Instagram, it will also further limit the kinds of conversations teens can have with Meta AI. In the Limited Content setting, Meta AI will decline to respond to a broader range of prompts, further reducing the chance of potentially inappropriate conversations.

Takeaways

• Instagram is adding over 30 new effects in Stories powered by Muse Image, the first AI image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs.
• There is also a redesigned effects browser experience that makes it easy to preview effects before you try them on your photos.
• These updates are available in the US only.

Every day, millions of people use Instagram to share their personal creativity with the people they care about. Today, we're making sharing Stories even more fun with over 30 new effects powered by Muse Image, the first AI image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs. These effects transform your photos with a single tap. Several of these effects were designed by Instagram creators, who used Meta AI to amplify their creativity and bring their ideas to life.

New AI Effects in Stories

In the US, we’ve added over 30 new effects that use the latest image generation capabilities from Meta AI. Meta AI has been developed to uniquely understand Instagram videos and photos and can interpret your photo's scene — the lighting, composition, and subject — to make nuanced edits that feel natural and true to you. You can subtly enhance the lighting in your photos with an effect like Night Flash or Disposable, try on new looks with Puffer or Paper Doll, or turn your Instagram profile into a personalized keychain with IG Charms. If you don’t see an effect you love, you can create your own by typing in a prompt at the bottom of the composer.

A Redesigned Composer for Faster Editing

We're also introducing a redesigned composer that makes it easier to preview and select the perfect effect for every photo in your camera roll. After you’ve taken or selected a photo, you can scroll through a carousel of thumbnails showing how each effect transforms your image so you can edit and share more quickly, with fewer tries. As always, however you choose to edit your photos, you remain in control of how you show up and what you share.

Human Creativity Drives Us

Human creativity is behind every piece of content shared on Instagram, and we believe that AI is at its best when it enhances that creativity. To highlight this, we partnered with five creators to develop a curated set of AI effects that reflect their unique creative styles. These creators – @zzdesign, @rourke, @aader.archv, @harukohayakawa, and @dontaecatlett – joined members of the Instagram team in New York to design these custom AI effects. Their visions were the driving force, AI simply helped bring their ideas to life. To try them out, check out the “New” tab within the effects carousel.

Creativity with Control

Meta is also launching the ability to @mention friends’ public Instagram accounts in Meta AI and generate creative AI images featuring them, such as personalized birthday cards, group trip memes, or playful edits between friends. It's an upgrade to what people can create with AI features at Meta, making it more personal, fun, and social.

We want our community to have control over how their content is used for creation. If you don't want anyone to create with your Instagram content using AI features at Meta, you can turn it off by going to Instagram Settings > Sharing and Reuse. This setting is currently available on mobile only for now.

We hope to continue to bring more fun, engaging AI features like these, alongside controls to manage how your content can be used in AI-generated content, to additional surfaces and people soon.

Today, we’re expanding Instagram for TV to Samsung TVs across the US and testing new features that help people connect around what they’re watching. Whether you’re catching up on your favorite creators, laughing at reels with friends, or discovering something new with family, Instagram for TV makes it easier to enjoy the videos you love on the biggest screen in the home.

Since launching last year, we’ve been learning what makes Instagram feel uniquely at home on TV. As we continue to build, we’re focused on making it easier for people to discover videos together, pick up where they left off, and share the experience with others in the room.

Now Available on Samsung TVs

Starting today, Instagram for TV is available on Samsung Smart TVs in the US, including 2020 model year TVs and newer. Combined with Amazon Fire TV and Google TV, Instagram is now available across the majority of connected TV devices in the US.

Built Around How You Actually Watch

We’ve heard from our community that Instagram for TV is often a shared experience. Friends and family watch together, pass the remote, and swap recommendations in real time. That’s why the features we’re testing today are designed to make discovering, sharing, and enjoying Instagram easier with the people around you.

• Channels organized around your interests. Instead of debating what to watch, channels make it easier to find videos everyone in the room can enjoy together, whether that’s comedy, sports, or your favorite creators.
• Cast Reels from your phone. Found something worth sharing? Send Reels directly from your phone to your TV in just a few taps. Casting is available today on Google TV and Fire TV, including videos from your Saved tab, making it easier to bring your favorite finds to the group.
• Stories on the big screen. Catch up on what friends and creators are sharing without crowding around a phone.
• Horizontal video. You asked, we listened. We’re testing a dedicated home for horizontal videos, giving creators more ways to reach audiences and making it easier to enjoy content designed for the TV screen.

Exploring New Formats for the Living Room

Watching on TV is different from watching on a phone. As we continue to learn from our community, we’re exploring more formats built for the living room and aim to start rolling them out soon.

Here are some of the formats we’re exploring:

• Longer-form creator content that enables creators to tell deeper stories and build stronger connections with their audiences through longer-form video on TV.
• Episodic series that unfold across multiple episodes, building on viewing behaviors we’ve already seen on Instagram mobile app.
• Live on TV, which brings live creator experiences to the big screen and creates new opportunities for people to watch and participate together in real time.

Building With Creators

Creators are helping shape the future of Instagram for TV. As we explore longer-form, episodic, and live formats, we’re working closely with creators to understand what works best on TV and how these experiences can complement the ways people already use Instagram.

Instagram for TV has evolved significantly since we first began testing, but we’re still in the early stages of understanding what social video looks like on TV. We’ll continue learning from our community and building new ways for people to connect around the content they love.

Takeaways

• Today, we're expanding Instagram for TV to Samsung TVs across the US and testing new features that help people connect around what they're watching. Whether you're catching up on your favorite creators, laughing at reels with friends, or discovering something new with family, Instagram for TV makes it easier to enjoy the videos you love on the biggest screen in the home.
• Since launching last year, we've been learning what makes Instagram feel uniquely at home on TV. As we continue to build, we're focused on making it easier for people to discover videos together, pick up where they left off, and share the experience with others in the room.

Now Available on Samsung TVs

Starting today, Instagram for TV is available on Samsung Smart TVs in the US (2020 models and newer). With Amazon Fire TV and Google TV, Instagram now reaches the majority of connected TV devices in the US.

Built Around How People Actually Watch

We've heard from our community that Instagram for TV is often a shared experience. Friends and family watch together, pass the remote, and swap recommendations in real time. That's why the features we're testing today are designed to make discovering, sharing, and enjoying Instagram easier with the people around you.

• Channels organized around your interests. Instead of debating what to watch, channels make it easier to find videos everyone in the room can enjoy together, whether that's comedy, sports, or your favorite creators.
• Cast Reels from your phone Found something worth sharing? Send Reels directly from your phone to your TV in just a few taps. Casting is available today on Google TV and Fire TV, including videos from your Saved tab, making it easier to bring your favorite finds to the group.
• Stories on the big screen. Catch up on what friends and creators are sharing without crowding around a phone.
• Horizontal video. You asked, we listened. We're testing a dedicated home for horizontal videos, giving creators more ways to reach audiences and making it easier to enjoy content designed for the TV screen.

Exploring New Formats for the Living Room

Watching on TV is different from watching on a phone. As we continue to learn from our community, we're exploring more formats built for the living room and hope to start rolling them out soon.

• Longer-form creator content. We're exploring ways for creators to tell deeper stories and build stronger connections with their audiences through longer-form video on TV.
• Episodic series. We're exploring content that unfolds across multiple episodes, building on viewing behaviors we've already seen on Instagram mobile app.
• Live on TV. We're exploring ways to bring live creator experiences to the big screen and create new opportunities for people to watch and participate together in real time.

Building With Creators

Creators are helping shape the future of Instagram for TV. As we explore longer-form, episodic, and live formats, we're working closely with creators to understand what works best on TV and how these experiences can complement the ways people already use Instagram.

Instagram for TV has evolved significantly since we first began testing, but we're still in the early stages of understanding what social video looks like on TV. We'll continue learning from our community and building new ways for people to connect around the content they love.

Takeaways

• Instagram Plus is a new subscription designed to give you more of what you love about Instagram.
• It offers exclusive features to help you express yourself, connect deeper with friends, and customize your experience.
• The Instagram you know and love today isn't changing — this subscription is simply an optional upgrade for people who want more.

Today, we’re launching Instagram Plus, a new subscription designed to give you more of what you love about Instagram. Instagram Plus offers exclusive features to help you express yourself, connect deeper with friends, and customize your experience in new ways. The Instagram you know and love today isn't changing and will always be free; this new subscription is simply an optional upgrade for people who want more control, deeper insights, and premium features.

What's included

Instagram Plus has features across three areas: getting closer to who matters, seeing previews and insights, and making Instagram yours.

Get closer to who matters

• Story Spotlight – Give your story priority for your friends.
• Super Hearts – Send vibrant, animated hearts that burst across the screen to celebrate stories from friends.
• Multiple Story Audiences – Create as many audience lists as you want, so you can share exactly the right story with exactly the right people.
• Story Extend – Set your story to last 48 hours so the people you care about have more time to see it.

See previews and insights

• Story Preview – Preview stories without the pressure to react.
• Story Rewatch Insights – See how many times your stories were rewatched.
• Search Viewer List – Quickly check if a specific person viewed your story.

Make it yours

• Custom App Icon – Choose your own app icon from a curated selection designed by Instagram and Instagram creators.
• Custom Bio Font – Customize the font of your profile bio to match your style.
• More Profile Pins – Pin up to 6 posts to your profile to highlight what matters most.
• Post Directly to Profile – Post to your profile or highlights without it appearing in friends' feeds.

You can try all these features right now by signing up for Instagram Plus.
And stay tuned, because we'll keep adding new features to Instagram Plus over the coming months. We can't wait for you to try it.

Instagram Plus is rolling out globally starting today.

Takeaways

On May 13, Instagram is launching Instants, a new way to share in the moment – with spontaneous, unfiltered photos– with friends. Instants are ephemeral to viewers, but are saved in your archive for up to a year and can be reshared as a recap to Stories. Friends can react and reply, with replies going straight to DMs. There's also an Instants companion app for quicker camera access. Full Teen Accounts and Family Center protections apply, including shared time limits, Sleep Mode, and parental supervision.

Today, we're excited to announce a new way to share on Instagram: Instants, a new feature and a separate app, that makes it easier to share life’s moments with friends as they happen.

We want to make it easier to share in the moment with friends — so we're introducing Instants, a new way to share casual, everyday photos that disappear after your friends view them. Instants live in the bottom right corner of your Instagram inbox, and with a simple tap of the camera, you can share photos with close friends or mutuals (followers you follow back). No edits, no pressure, just life as it happens.

How it works:

• Go to your Instagram inbox and tap the mini stack of photos at the bottom right corner.
• You can add a caption (unlike stories, you add the caption first!), but can’t further edit instants.
• Choose who to share your instants with – Close Friends or followers you follow back. Your friends can react, reply, and share instants as well.
• Tap the white button below the camera to share as many times as you want. An undo button will automatically appear the moment you share an instant in case you want to quickly take it back before it gets shared with friends.
• Instants you share will show up as a stack of photos in the bottom right corner of your friends’ inboxes, and disappear after viewed, and can’t be seen after 24 hours.

More ways to use instants:

• Archive – Your shared instants are saved in a private archive, which you can access for just you to see on the top right corner of instants.
• Recap to stories – Compile instants from your archive into a recap and post to stories, for all of your followers. Just tap “Create recap” in your archive.
• Undo – Accidentally shared an instant? Quickly take it back before friends see it by tapping the undo button. You can also delete an instant from your archive to unshare it to friends who haven’t opened it yet.
• Snooze – Hold down the stack of instants by your inbox and swipe right to temporarily stop seeing them. Bring back instants by holding down the same spot and swiping left.

Separate Instants app for quicker access to camera

We’ve been testing instants for a while, and one thing we heard was that people wanted a quicker, easier way to get into the camera. To make that easier, we’re experimenting with an Instants standalone app in select countries.

The app gives you immediate access to the camera — just log in with your existing Instagram account. Instants you share on the separate app will show up for friends on Instagram and vice versa. We’re trying this separate app out to see how our community uses it, and we’ll continue to evolve it as we learn more.For those who want a quicker way to share in the moment, we're also rolling out an Instants app in select countries on iOS and Android.*

Built in safety & privacy

All the safety and privacy protections built into Instagram apply to Instants, whether you're on Instagram or on the Instants app. Instagram’s in-app controls including block, mute and restrict all apply to instants – so you can limit receiving instants from specific friends. Your instants can only be seen by those you choose to share it with – your Close Friends, or mutuals (followers you follow back).

For teens, Instants (both the feature and the app) is automatically integrated with Teen Accounts and parental supervision. There is no separate setup — if a parent already supervises their teen on Instagram, that supervision automatically extends to Instants. This includes:

• Shared time limits – Time spent on Instants (both the feature and the app) counts toward a teen's daily time limit on Instagram.
• Sleep Mode – Notifications are muted and access is restricted by default between 10 PM and 7 AM for teens.
• Same safety tools – Instagram's in-app controls including block, mute, and restrict all apply to instants, whether you're on Instagram or on the Instants app.
• No screenshots – instants can’t be screenshot or screenrecorded.
• Our Community Standards apply to Instants (both the feature and the app): We'll use technology to find and remove instants that break these rules, and people can report instants for review.
• Parent notification – Parents of supervised teens are notified the first time their teen downloads the Instants app.

Instants is available globally starting today as a feature on Instagram. The Instants app is available in select countries.

Today, we’re introducing Instants, a new way to share photos in the moment with your Close Friends or mutual followers with just a tap. Photos you share on Instants disappear after they’ve been viewed and can’t be viewed after 24 hours. You also can’t edit your instants before sharing, so you can share authentic moments as they’re happening.

How It Works

You can capture an instant by tapping the mini pile of photos at the bottom right corner of your Instagram inbox or by opening the Instants app. From there, snap a photo in real time — no uploads from your phone’s photo gallery. You can also add a caption to your photo, but can’t make any further edits to it.

Next, choose who you want to share your Instant with — your Close Friends or followers that you follow back. Recipients can react with emojis, reply, and send instants back to you. The instants you share will show up as a pile of photos in your friends’ inboxes and disappear once they’re viewed.

The Instants app, rolling out in select countries on iOS and Android, gives you immediate access to the Instants camera — just log in with your Instagram account to get started. Instants work the same across both apps, meaning instants shared via the app will reach your friends seeing them on Instagram, too.

Features to Make Sharing With Friends Simple

• Archive: Your shared instants are saved in a private archive that only you can see for up to one year, which you can access on the top right corner of Instants.
• Recap to Stories: Compile instants from your archive into a recap and post it to Instagram Stories for your followers. Just tap Create recap in your archive to get started.
• No screenshots: Friends can’t screenshot or record instants you share.
• Undo: Accidentally sent an instant? Quickly take it back before friends see it by tapping the undo button. You can also delete an instant from your archive to unsend it to friends who haven’t opened it yet.
• Snooze: Hold down the pile of instants in your inbox and swipe right to temporarily stop receiving them. Bring back instants by holding down the same spot and swiping left.

Built-In Safety and Privacy

All of the safety and privacy protections on Instagram apply to Instants. Instagram’s in-app controls like Block, Mute, and Restrict work on Instants, too, so you can limit receiving instants from specific friends. Your instants can only be seen by those you choose to share them with — your close friends or followers you follow back.

For teens, Instants is automatically integrated with Teen Accounts and Family Center. There is no separate setup — if a parent already supervises their teen on Instagram, that supervision automatically extends to Instants.

Notable protections include:

• Shared time limits: Time spent on Instants counts toward a teen’s daily time limit on Instagram.
• Sleep Mode: Notifications are muted and access is restricted by default between 10PM and 7AM for teens.
• Safety tools: Instagram’s safety features — including block, mute, restrict, content filters, and reporting — all work on Instants.
• Parent notification: Parents of supervised teens will be notified the first time their teen downloads the Instants app.

Instants is available globally starting today as a feature on Instagram and as an app in select countries.

Takeaways

• Instagram will start notifying parents if their teen repeatedly tries to search for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period of time.
• These alerts are designed to give parents the information they need to support their teen and come with expert resources to help parents approach these sensitive conversations.
• Meta is also building similar parental notifications for teens’ conversations with AI, to come later this year.

In the coming weeks, Instagram will start notifying parents using supervision if their teen repeatedly tries to search for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period of time. This is the latest protection for Teen Accounts and Instagram’s parental supervision features.

We understand how sensitive these issues are, and how distressing it could be for a parent to receive an alert like this. The vast majority of teens do not try to search for suicide and self-harm content on Instagram, and when they do, our policy is to block these searches, instead directing them to resources and helplines that can offer support. These alerts are designed to make sure parents are aware if their teen is repeatedly trying to search for this content, and to give them the resources they need to support their teen.

How the Alerts Will Work

Next week, parents and teens enrolled in supervision will be notified that Instagram will start sending these new alerts to parents, based on their teens’ search activity. Attempted searches that would prompt the alert include phrases promoting suicide or self-harm, phrases that suggest a teen wants to harm themselves, and terms like ‘suicide’ or ‘self-harm’.

The alerts will be sent to parents via email, text, or WhatsApp, depending on the contact information available, as well as through an in-app notification. Tapping on the notification will open a full-screen message explaining that their teen has repeatedly tried to search Instagram for terms associated with suicide or self-harm within a short period of time. Parents will also have the option to view expert resources designed to help them approach potentially sensitive conversations with their teen.

These alerts will roll out to parents who use Instagram’s parental supervision tools in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada next week, and will become available in other regions later this year.

Striking the Right Balance

Our goal is to empower parents to step in if their teen’s searches suggest they may need support. We also want to avoid sending these notifications unnecessarily, which, if done too much, could make the notifications less useful overall.

“When a young person searches about suicide or self-harm, empowering a parent to step in can be extremely important. The fact that Meta has now built this in is a meaningful step forward and is the kind of change that child safety experts have been pushing for.”
– Dr Sameer Hinduja, Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center

In working to strike this important balance, we analyzed Instagram search behavior and consulted with experts from our Suicide and Self-Harm Advisory Group. We chose a threshold that requires a few searches within a short period of time, while still erring on the side of caution. While that means we may sometimes notify parents when there may not be real cause for concern, we feel — and experts agree — that this is the right starting point, and we’ll continue to monitor and listen to feedback to make sure we’re in the right place.

“It’s vital that parents have the information they need to support their teens. This is a really important step that should help give parents greater peace of mind – if their teen is actively trying to look for this type of harmful content on Instagram, they’ll know about it.”
– Vicki Shotbolt, CEO Parent Zone

Building on Existing Protections

These alerts build on our existing work to help protect teens from potentially harmful content on Instagram. We have strict policies against content that promotes or glorifies suicide or self-harm and, while we do allow people to share content about their own struggles with these issues, we hide this content from teens, even if it’s shared by someone they follow.

We work to block searches for terms clearly associated with suicide and self-harm, including terms that violate our suicide and self-harm policies. This means we don’t show any results and instead direct people to resources and local organizations that can help. We also direct people to resources and helplines when their searches aren’t clearly related to suicide and self-harm, but mental health more broadly. We’ll continue to alert the emergency services when we become aware of anyone at imminent risk of physical harm — actions that have saved lives.

We’re launching these alerts on Instagram search first, but we know teens are increasingly turning to AI for support. While our AI is already trained to respond safely to teens and provide resources on these topics as appropriate, we’re now building similar parental alerts for certain AI experiences. These will notify parents if a teen attempts to engage in certain types of conversations related to suicide or self-harm with our AI. This is important work and we’ll have more to share in the coming months.

Takeaways

• Today we’re excited to start testing Instagram for TV, bringing reels from your favorite creators to the big screen so you can enjoy them with friends.
• We’ve heard from our community that watching reels together is more fun, and this test is designed to learn which features make that experience work best on TV.
• Reels are grouped into channels that match your interests, including new music, sports highlights, hidden travel gems, trending moments, and more.
• Over time, we’re exploring new features, including using your phone as a remote, intuitive ways to channel surf, shared feeds with friends, and making it easier to keep up with your favorite creators in one place.

Today we’re excited to start testing Instagram for TV, bringing reels from your favorite creators to the big screen so you can enjoy them with friends. We’ve heard from our community that watching reels together is more fun, and this test is designed to learn which features make that experience work best on TV.
The app is available in the US on Amazon Fire TV devices, and as we learn from this test, we will expand to more devices and countries.

Getting Started

Start by installing the Instagram app on your Fire TV and signing in with your account. You can also open it directly from the Settings bookmark in the Instagram mobile app. You can add up to five accounts, so everyone in your home can enjoy a personalized way to watch Reels. If you want, you can even create a separate account just for Instagram on TV in a few simple steps.

Explore Reels in Channels

When you log in, reels are grouped into channels that match your interests, including new music, sports highlights, hidden travel gems, trending moments, and more. This is an early test, so the experience will continue to evolve as we explore new ways to watch and learn what people enjoy most. When something catches your eye, reels play automatically with full sound so you can lean back and watch without having to scroll for what’s next.

Enjoy More of What You Love

Search makes it easy to find your favorite creators, browse profiles centered on Reels, and explore anything you are interested in. Over time, we plan to introduce new features, which may include using your phone as a remote, a more intuitive way to channel surf, shared feeds with friends, and making it easier to keep up with your favorite creators in one place.

Safety and Content Standards

Instagram for TV is built for shared viewing, so we apply content standards suitable for a broad audience. In this test, Reels generally follow the PG-13 rating system we recently introduced on mobile. These guidelines shape what may appear on TV.
For teens, Instagram for TV is intended to reflect the same general safeguards available on the Instagram mobile app. This includes limiting access to content, comments and profiles that may be unsuitable for people under 18. Time spent on Instagram for TV contributes to a Teen Account’s overall usage limits, and teens may receive the same reminders about approaching or reaching those limits or sleep mode.
We’re learning and planning to improve Instagram for TV based on your feedback.
Download the app on an Amazon Fire TV device today.

Today, we’re starting to test Instagram for TV, which brings reels from your favorite creators to the big screen so you can enjoy them with friends.

We’ve heard from people that watching reels together is more fun, and this test is designed to learn which features make that experience work best on TV.

Reels on Instagram for TV are grouped into channels that match your interests, including new music, sports highlights, hidden travel gems, trending moments, and more.

Today, we’re starting to test Instagram for TV, which brings reels from your favorite creators to the big screen so you can enjoy them with friends. We heard that watching reels together is more enjoyable, and this test will help us learn which features make that experience work best on TV.

Instagram for TV is available now in the US on Amazon Fire TV devices, and we’ll expand the app to more countries and devices in the future.

How to Get Started

First, install the Instagram app on your Amazon Fire TV and sign in to your account. You can also set up Instagram for TV through the Settings and activity menu in the mobile app. You can add up to five accounts on Instagram for TV, so everyone in your home can enjoy a personalized way to watch reels. You can also create a separate Instagram for TV account that isn’t linked to your profile in a few simple steps.

Explore Reels in Channels

When you log in, reels will be grouped into channels that match your interests, including new music, sports highlights, hidden travel gems, trending moments, and more. Once you select a reel, you can kick back and relax as more reels play automatically with full sound without having to scroll for what’s next.

Over time, we plan to introduce new features to the app, like using your phone as a remote to browse, different ways to channel surf, shared feeds with friends, and making it easier to keep up with your favorite creators in one place.

Applying Safety and Content Standards

Instagram for TV is built for shared viewing, so we apply content standards suitable for a broad audience. In this test, Reels generally follow the PG-13 rating system we recently introduced on the mobile app, so you’ll see content similar to what you might see in a PG-13 movie.

For teens, Instagram for TV is intended to reflect the same general safeguards that are available on the Instagram mobile app. This includes limiting access to content, comments, and profiles that may be unsuitable for people under the age of 18. Time spent on Instagram for TV contributes to a Teen Account’s usage limit alongside their mobile app usage, and teens may receive the same reminders about approaching or reaching those limits or Sleep mode.

We’re learning and planning to improve Instagram for TV based on your feedback. Download the app on an Amazon Fire TV device today.

Today, we’re excited to announce a new way to control your Instagram experience, starting with the Reels tab. Your interests change – and now using AI, your algorithm can change with you.
Instagram has always been a place to dive deep into your interests and connect with friends. As your interests evolve over time, we want to give you more meaningful ways to control what you see on Instagram, starting with Reels. Using AI, you can now more easily view and personalize the topics that shape your Reels, making recommendations feel even more tailored to you.

See and Control your Reels Algorithm

When you’re watching Reels, look for the icon in the upper right corner (two lines with hearts). Tap it to open Your Algorithm. You can see what topics we think you’re interested in, tell us which topics you want to see more or less of, and your recommendations will adapt.

• See your top interests:
  View a summary of the topics Instagram thinks you care about most, right at the top.
• Tune your preferences:
  Type in the topics you want to see more or less of, and your Reels will reflect your choices.
• Share your algorithm:
  If you’d like, you can share your interests to your Story, so friends and followers can see what you’re into.

You can also access Your Algorithm by navigating to Content preferences and tapping on Your algorithm within Settings and activity.

Instagram is leading the way in giving you more control, so your Reels feel relevant and made for you. We’re starting with the Reels tab, and are planning to bring this ability to Explore, and more places in the app soon.

This new feature is available starting today in the US and rolling out globally in English soon. We’re still early in this journey, and will keep refining and improving the experience over time.

Restyle with Meta AI

Whether you want to simply remove an unwanted detail from your story, include a playful element, change the vibe using a whimsical effect, or start a trend with your friends with Add Yours stickers, now you can. Restyle your photos and videos in Instagram Stories to make edits, big or small using Meta AI.

To restyle your photos

• Click on the + on your profile photo to select an image from your camera roll to add to your story.
• After selecting your photo, click on the restyle icon in the top tray.

Make edits to your image by either:

• Choosing Add, Remove, or Change and then describing what you want to edit.
• Typing into the prompt bar at the bottom the edits you want.
• Scrolling to select one of the preset effects above the prompt bar.
• Clicking on the browser icon in the bottom right for even more preset effect options.
  Once your new image is generated you can click “Done” before sharing your story.

To restyle your videos

• Click on the + on your profile photo to select a video from your camera roll to add to your story.
• After selecting your video, click on the restyle icon in the top tray.
• Select a preset effect.
• Once your new video is generated you can click “Done” before sharing your story.

Here are some examples of ways people have enjoyed using restyle

Remove unwanted items and add some flair

Easily restyle your photos and videos in IG Stories, and make your content your own by removing or adding elements. With the ‘remove’ feature in restyle, you can get rid of unwanted elements from the background of your photos. With the ‘add’ and ‘change’ features, you can easily prompt Meta AI to create your vision, whether it’s asking to change your hair color for a fun twist, adding a crown or some balloons to celebrate your best friend’s birthday story post, or adding a sunset background to your selfie – restyling your images can make those small edits that make all the difference.

Show off creativity with preset effects

Experiment with your fashion by using preset effects like ‘sunglasses,’ ‘biker jacket’ or even ‘black clothes’ to transform your outfits. Or you can change the whole style of the image itself to make it look like a watercolor or film noir. Better yet, use these presets as a starting point to spark creativity. You can apply any effect and then type in additional changes you want to make to edit your content in seconds.
There are also several preset effects for short videos. You can transform the style, background, and outfits in your videos. You can turn your whole video into an underwater landscape, add fire and flames all around, or even add snow.

How to write great prompts

We want to give you the creative freedom to edit your photos exactly how you want. The more specific and detailed your prompt, the better Meta AI can match your vision.

Some things to consider:

• Subject (like “add a crown on top of the girl’s head”)
• Lighting and mood (like “add dramatic lighting”, “have light from just a single paparazzi flash”)
• Composition needs (like “in the bottom left corner”, “in the background”)
• Style (like “make photorealistic”, “film noir style”)
• Location (“in outer space”, “in Paris”)

Use the Add Yours sticker to start a trend

Using Add Yours stickers will make it easy for friends to use the same edits you made. You can get inspiration from your friends or start your very own viral trend! If you want others to be able to make the same edits, apply an Add Yours sticker, which you can access by swiping up on your restyled image before sharing to your story.
And if you see an image that was restyled with an Add Yours sticker, you can click on Add Yours, select the image you want restyled from your camera library, and then post. Keep that Add Yours sticker on so more and more friends can hop on the trend.

It’s free and easy to restyle your photos and videos, right in the app you’re already using. Share with your friends and followers in your story or share more privately in DMs.
Get ready to make your photos and videos truly your own with Meta AI!

For more tips & tricks on creating with Meta AI on Instagram, click here. To learn more about Meta AI on Instagram, visit the Help Center.

Update on December 19, 2025 at 4:50PM PT

This article, including the headline, has been updated to clarify that our updates to Teen Accounts were inspired by movie ratings for ages 13+. There are lots of differences between social media and movies. We didn’t work with the MPA when updating our content settings, and they’re not rating content on Instagram. Rather, we drew inspiration from the MPA's public guidelines, which are already familiar to parents.

Takeaways

• Instagram is revamping Teen Accounts, inspired by movie ratings for ages 13+. This means teens will see content that’s similar to what they’d see in an age-appropriate movie, by default.
• Parents who prefer extra controls can also choose a new, stricter setting.
• We’re also offering parents new ways to share feedback, including the ability to report content they think teens shouldn’t see.

Today, we’re announcing that Instagram Teen Accounts will be inspired by movie ratings for ages 13+ by default. This means that teens will see content on Instagram that’s similar to what they’d see in an age-appropriate movie. Teens under 18 will be automatically placed into an updated 13+ setting, and they won’t be able to opt out without a parent’s permission. And because we know that all families are different, we’re also introducing a new, stricter setting for parents who prefer a more restrictive experience for their teen. We invited thousands of parents worldwide to share their feedback with us, helping us shape these changes and ensure our efforts align with their expectations.

This is the most significant update to Teen Accounts since we introduced them last year, and builds on the automatic protections already provided by Teen Accounts to hundreds of millions of teens globally. We know teens may try to avoid these restrictions, which is why we’ll use age prediction technology to place teens into certain content protections — even if they claim to be adults.

Just like you might see some suggestive content or hear some strong language in a movie rated for ages 13+, teens may occasionally see something like that on Instagram — but we’re going to keep doing all we can to keep those instances as rare as possible. We recognize no system is perfect, and we’re committed to improving over time. We hope this update reassures parents that we’re working to show teens safe, age-appropriate content on Instagram by default, while also giving them more ways to shape their teen’s experience.

Updating Our Content Policies for Teens, Inspired by Movie Ratings for Ages 13+

Teen Accounts were already designed to protect teens from inappropriate content and, over the past year, we’ve further refined our age-appropriate guidelines to hide even more potentially inappropriate content in the updated default 13+ content setting.

We decided to more closely align our policies with an independent standard that parents are familiar with, so we reviewed our age-appropriate guidelines against movie ratings for ages 13+ and updated them accordingly. While of course there are differences between movies and social media, we made these changes so teens’ experiences in the 13+ setting feel closer to the Instagram equivalent of watching a movie that’s been rated appropriate for 13+.

In addition to our longstanding policies — which already hide or prohibit the recommendation of sexually suggestive content, graphic or disturbing images, and adult content like tobacco or alcohol sales from teens — our updated policies will now go even further. This includes hiding or not recommending posts with strong language, certain risky stunts, and additional content that could encourage potentially harmful behaviors, such as posts showing marijuana paraphernalia.

In a recent survey conducted by Ipsos and commissioned by Meta, 95% of US parents of teens said they think these updated settings will be helpful, and 90% said they’ll make it easier to understand the kind of content their teen is likely to see on Instagram.

Expanding Protections Across Teen Accounts

We spent several months improving and refining our technology to proactively identify content that goes against our updated guidelines, and we’re using this improved technology across Instagram, including:

• Accounts: Teens will no longer be able to follow accounts that we’ve found regularly share age-inappropriate content, or if their name or bio suggests the account is inappropriate for teens. If teens already follow these accounts, they’ll no longer be able to see or interact with their content, send them DMs, or see their comments under anyone’s posts. We won’t recommend these accounts to teens, and we’ll make it harder for teens to find these accounts in Search. These protections work both ways: these accounts won’t be able to follow teens, send them DMs, or comment on their posts.
• Search: We already block search terms related to certain sensitive topics, like suicide, self-harm, and eating disorders. Now we’ll block teens’ ability to see content results for a wider range of mature search terms, such as ‘alcohol’ or ‘gore’— and we’re working to make sure these terms will still be blocked if they’re misspelled.
• Content Experience: Teens shouldn’t see content that goes against our updated guidelines in recommendations (Explore, Reels, and in-Feed), Feed, and Stories — even when shared by someone they follow — or comments. If someone sends a teen a link to such content in DMs, they won’t be able to open it.
• AI: We’ve also updated our AI experiences for teens, inspired by movie ratings for ages 13+, meaning AIs should not give age-inappropriate responses that would feel out of place in a movie rated for ages 13+.

Introducing Limited Content: A New, Stricter Setting for Parents Who Prefer Extra Controls

Every family is different and, for some parents, movies rated for ages 13+ may still feel too mature for their teen. That’s why we’re introducing a new, stricter setting called ‘Limited Content,’ which will filter even more content from the Teen Account experience. It will also remove teens’ ability to see, leave, or receive comments under posts. Starting next year, this setting will also further restrict the AI conversations teens can have.

The new Limited Content setting is designed to give parents more control over what their teen sees on Instagram. 96% of US parents said they appreciated having this option, whether they choose to opt their teen in or not.

Listening and Responding to Parents

We took parent feedback into account as we developed these changes, and we’re giving parents ways to continue providing us with feedback so we can make improvements. We invited thousands of parents around the world to rate real Instagram content and tell us if they thought it was appropriate for teens. We received over 3 million content ratings from parents and incorporated this feedback when refining our age-appropriate guidelines.

We’re encouraged to see that this feedback, and the changes we made in response to it, made parents more comfortable with content recommended to teens. For example, in September, we asked parents in the US and UK to review Instagram content that had been recommended to teens. Fewer than 2% of the posts were considered inappropriate for teens by most parents.

So parents can continue to give us feedback, we’ll run regular surveys on Instagram inviting parents to review a series of posts, and confirm whether they think they’re appropriate for teens. These surveys will help us understand if parents still agree with where we’ve drawn the line, and if we need to further adjust our guidelines.

We’re also testing a new way for parents using supervision tools to flag any post they see on Instagram that they think should be hidden from teens and tell us why. If these posts aren’t already hidden from teens, we’ll send them to our teams for prioritized review, and we’ll let the parent know the outcome.

When to Expect These Changes

These are significant updates, and we want to take the time to get it right. The updated content settings will start rolling out gradually to Teen Accounts in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada today and will be fully rolled out by the end of the year. Looking ahead, we plan to roll out these changes globally, apply more of the new protections to teens who claim to be adults, and on Facebook, add additional age-appropriate content protections for teens.

Express yourself with Instagram Notes

With Instagram Notes, you can quickly share short but powerful messages right in your DMs. Whether you want to give a sneak peek into your day, promote your small business, or chat with friends, Notes are perfect for spicing up your content and keeping your audience engaged.

The Instagram Notes feature lets you connect with your followers in a fun and laid-back way. You can shoot short messages straight to your mutual followers or Close Friends list, making it easy to share quick updates, ask questions, or spark connections with your friends with no pressure. Unlike Stories that are all about the visuals, Notes focus on short and sweet conversations. Think of messages like 'Today I’m all about good vibes!' or questions like 'What’s a book you can’t put down?' to get your followers engaging with you.

To create a Note on Instagram:

• Access your profile picture at the top of your DMs, which has an option that says “Leave a note” or a + icon.
• Tap on your profile picture or the + to start creating a note.
• Type your message (up to 60 characters, text and emojis only).
• Select who can see your note: either your mutual followers or your Close Friends list.
• Tap “Share” to post your note!

Your Notes will appear at the top of your friends’ DMs for 24 hours. Your friends can reply to your note, and their responses will show up as direct messages in your inbox. You can also delete your note at any time by tapping your note and selecting the delete option.
Instagram Notes are all about building a community and letting your true self shine.

Spark creativity and get noticed with creative prompts

There are many clever ways to spark engagement with your followers using IG notes. Here are some ideas:

• Ask questions to your friends
  You can ask fun questions, run polls, or share “Ask me anything” prompts to engage with your followers and encourage them to reply.
• Share daily affirmations to inspire and motivate your followers
  Feel free to share more personal reflections for your friends to get a deeper look into your day-to-day thoughts. Share daily affirmations to inspire others, or quotes that resonate with you. Emojis can make your Note pop and express your mood or message quickly.
• Quote your favorite celebrity, movie, music lyrics, or book!
  Share memorable quotes from your favorite flicks or books to kick off conversations among fans. Think of lines like 'To infinity and beyond!' or 'It does not do to dwell on dreams.' Keep it light with trivia or jokes, like 'Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired!' Challenge your followers with riddles for extra fun.
  Using these ideas in your Instagram Notes can create an exciting vibe and strengthen connections with your followers. Let your creativity shine!

Spotify Listening Now on Notes

If you love to share music recommendations to your friends, we’ve now included Spotify in your IG Notes. You can link your Spotify account to Instagram and share what you’re listening to in real time directly to your Notes.

To share music from Spotify:

• Create a Note in your Instagram DMs.
• Tap the music icon (🎵).
• Link your Spotify account if prompted.
• Tap “Share from Spotify” while music is playing.
• Add a caption (optional) and share!

Your Note will automatically update to show the song you’re currently playing on Spotify. If you stop listening, it will update the next time you play a song within 30 minutes. There are also special moments where listening to certain artists on Spotify will trigger unique effects in Notes.
This is a dynamic, real-time way to share your taste and chat with friends who might love the same song as you!

Tricks for getting the most out of Instagram Notes

Use Notes to start meaningful conversations, share thoughts on trending topics, and invite your followers to share their views. This keeps the community vibe alive and encourages thoughtful chats.
Remember, keep it short & sweet. You have only 60 characters, so make every word (and emoji) count. Notes disappear after 24 hours, so make sure to use them for timely updates, reminders, or daily-check ins with your friends.

Encourage replies and stay authentic with your Notes. You can end your Note with a question or call-to-action to invite friends to DM you. Share your real thoughts, feelings, or moments – authenticity helps build stronger connections!
Foster conversations, toss in questions and polls, and create fun challenges to leave a lasting impression on your friends. Stay true to yourself, keep it open, and watch your community thrive!

For further support on using the Instagram Notes feature, visit the Help Center.

Takeaways

• We’ve placed hundreds of millions of teens in Teen Accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger, and now we’re expanding them to teens around the world on Facebook and Messenger.
• We’re launching the School Partnership Program to help educators report safety concerns, like bullying, directly to us for quicker review and removal.
• We’re also expanding access to our online safety curriculum to teach middle schoolers how to stay safe online, including how to recognize and avoid scams and other types of exploitation.

A year ago, we introduced Teen Accounts — a significant step to help keep teens safe across our apps. As of today, we’ve placed hundreds of millions of teens in Teen Accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. Teen Accounts are already rolled out globally on Instagram and are further expanding to teens everywhere around the world on Facebook and Messenger today. Teen Account protections were designed to address parents’ top concerns with automatic protections to limit who their teens are talking to online and the content they’re seeing, and ensure their time is well spent. While there’s always more work to be done, we’re encouraged to see that Teen Accounts are bringing parents more peace of mind when it comes to their teens’ online experiences.

“We want parents to feel good about their teens using social media. We know teens use apps like Instagram to connect with friends and explore their interests, and they should be able to do so without worrying about unsafe or inappropriate experiences. Teen Accounts are designed to give parents peace of mind. Since launching on Instagram a year ago, we’ve added limits on teens going Live, more restrictions in DMs, and also improved our ability to make sure people are in age-appropriate experiences. Supporting parents and helping teens use our apps safely is a responsibility we take seriously.” – Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram

More Support for Schools and Teachers, in Addition to Parents

While we’re focused on providing young people with built-in protections and giving parents ways to directly manage their teens’ experiences, we recognize there are many who play a role in keeping teens safe — including teachers and schools. Today, we’re launching the School Partnership Program for all US middle and high schools. Developed with the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, this program helps educators report safety concerns, like bullying, directly to us for quicker review. This means schools can report Instagram content or accounts that may violate our Community Standards for prioritized review, which we aim to complete within 48 hours.

We piloted this program over the past year and opened up a waitlist for schools to join in April. The program has helped us quickly respond to educators’ online safety concerns, and we’ve heard positive feedback from participating schools. Now, all middle and high schools in the US can sign up for the School Partnership Program by visiting about.instagram.com/community/educators or directly in their Instagram settings by selecting Account Type and Tools or Business Tools and Controls. Full step by step instructions can be found here.

Schools that sign up to become school partners on Instagram receive prioritized reporting, educational resources to help their school community navigate social media, and a banner on their Instagram profile so parents and students know they’re an official Instagram partner.

“Partnering with Instagram has been incredibly helpful in keeping our students and community safer online. I had an inside track and faster responses to reports of inappropriate behaviors online. As a principal of four years, responsible for over 700 students, I cannot stress enough the importance of new ways to keep kids safe in this changing world. I’m excited that more schools will get the chance to do this. I hope other technology platforms can also trust schools more and take down harmful posts.” – Justin Ponzio, Principal, Buchser Middle School

Reaching a Million Middle Schoolers With Online Safety Curriculum

Earlier this year, we announced that we partnered with Childhelp to develop a first-of-its-kind online safety curriculum specifically for middle schoolers. Educators and parents who have accessed the curriculum so far say they expect to teach it to over 550,000 US middle schoolers in the coming year, and our goal is to reach one million students.

The curriculum, created in collaboration with leading child safety experts, teaches middle schoolers how to stay safe online, including how to spot potential signs of online exploitation, and what to do if they or someone they know needs help. Fully funded by Meta, the curriculum is free and available to all, and includes everything parents and educators need — from detailed facilitator training to fully scripted lessons, with interactive activities and videos.

We also know that sometimes middle schoolers prefer to discuss these topics with people closer in age. That’s why we partnered with the team at LifeSmarts, who have adapted the curriculum to empower high school students to teach it to their younger peers. This new peer-led version of the curriculum is available now.

As part of our commitment to supporting parents and protecting teens, we’re always working on new ways to keep teens safe on our apps, and we’ll share more updates soon.