This Safer Internet Day, Meta launched the Instagram Parents Guide to educate Filipino parents on Instagram’s safety features and empower them to initiate conversations with their children on online safety and mental well-being.
The Parents Guide is developed with Plan International Philippines, a humanitarian and development organization that promotes digital citizenship and safe online spaces, and Youth for Mental Health Coalition, an organization of students, young professionals, mental health professionals, and youth advocates for mental health, in collaboration with Doug and Chesca Kramer. The download link of the Instagram Parents Guide in English is available for free on the Instagram Parents’ site. The Filipino version will be available soon.
“At Instagram, we continue to learn from and be inspired by the way teens use social media, especially the way they develop their identity and share real issues while using our platform. We want them to feel that Instagram is a safe and supportive place to express their authentic selves. With the Instagram Parents Guide, we are working with parents to continue our work to make Instagram a safe and supportive place. Together with Plan International Philippines, Youth for Mental Health Coalition, and parents Doug and Chesca Kramer, we hope to empower parents to start important conversations with their teens about online safety and well-being,” said Philip Chua, Head of Instagram Public Policy, APAC.
“In line with this, we are also launching Take a Break, a new feature created to empower users, especially teens, to make informed decisions about how they’re spending their time on our platform. If someone has been scrolling for a certain amount of time, we’ll ask them to take a break and suggest that they set reminders to do so in the future. We’ll also show them expert-backed tips to help them reflect and reset. Additionally, in the upcoming months, we will default new accounts created by teenagers into the experience, and include prompts to take breaks on Reels,” added Chua.
“Teens use Instagram for advocacy, entertainment, education and to communicate with friends and family. During the COVID-19 pandemic, being online has become even more important: a lifeline for those often isolated at home and an important tool as young people struggle to keep up with their education and stay connected to the wider world,” said Ana Maria Locsin, Country Director of Plan International Philippines. “With more teens going online, engaging parents on the topic of online safety and mental well-being is becoming more important than ever. It is important to have these conversations with our children from a young age so that it becomes part of their learning and development, and we encourage parents to use the Instagram Parents Guide as a resource to begin these conversations.”
“We understand there will be situations that might be difficult for parents to handle, especially in the midst of a pandemic. As more teens go online, both they and their parents experience challenges in navigating social media responsibly and safely. We hope that the tips and resources we shared in the Instagram Parents Guide can help parents navigate the online journey with their children. These tips are a gentle reminder that the best support parents can give is building a healthy relationship with their children,” said Ray Alyannah Lagasca, National Chairperson, Youth for Mental Health Coalition.
“Teens are digital natives and social media is a real part of their lives. They like posting snippets of their lives through selfies and videos, and they also like to share their personal style, interests, and milestones on social media. With Kendra turning 13, as her parents, it is our responsibility to help guide and protect her. We definitely need to be more involved in our children’s lives. By working with Instagram to provide us with tips and learnings in navigating social media as a family, we want to encourage other parents to use the guide to keep themselves up-to-date on the app’s tools and features, and to continuously have open and honest communication with your children,” said Chesca Kramer.
“We hope that with sound digital literacy, accessible professional information, and support groups about mental well-being, parents should feel empowered and supported to have these conversations with their children,” Philip concluded.
Download the Instagram Parent Guide here: https://about.instagram.com/community/parents#guide. Scroll to Download Parents Guide and click on English (Philippines).