3 min read
Instagram has rolled out a new customization feature exclusively for teen accounts, allowing users under 18 to select from six unique app icons. This update comes alongside a sweeping safety first initiative that aligns teen experiences with PG 13 style content controls and stronger parental oversight.
What’s Changing: Icons & Expression
For teen accounts, Instagram is now offering six new aesthetic visuals for the app icon including designs named “chrome”, “cosmic”, and “slime.” According to Instagram’s design team, these creative options were developed in collaboration with illustrator Doncarrrlos, aiming to push the boundaries of the logo. To access them, teens simply tap the Instagram logo at the top of the home feed and select their preferred icon.
The move mirrors similar customization features available via platforms such as Snap’s augmented subscription tiers, signalling Meta’s effort to keep the brand relevant to younger users while increasing personalization of the app experience.
Safety and Privacy: More Than Just Icons
This icon update is part of a broader push by Meta to restructure how Instagram treats teen users. Earlier this month, Meta announced that teen accounts will now be governed by default settings aligned with PG 13 movie ratings, meaning teens will automatically be shielded from strong language, graphic imagery or drugs and alcohol related content unless opted in by parents.
These protections include:
- Automatic placement into a teen account type for anyone under 18.
- Private account defaults and restrictions on who can follow, message or tag the teen.
- Expanded content filtering: search terms like “alcohol” or “gore” are blocked for teens, even if misspelt.
- A new “Limited Content” setting for parents who want strictly filtered experiences for their teens.
The safety overhaul is expected to roll out in the US, UK, Australia and Canada by the end of the year, with wider global coverage in 2026.
Criticisms & Caveats to Consider
While Meta emphasises progress, safety advocates remain sceptical.
- Some reports claim Instagram still recommended age inappropriate content to teen accounts despite existing controls.
- Customization options like icons subtly reinforce usage and engagement rather than reducing screen time, a core concern in youth digital health discourse.
- The focus on visual personalization may not address underlying issues such as algorithmic content surfacing, mental health impacts or offline behavioural risks.
Instagram’s Strategy & Competition For Teens
Instagram’s teen specific updates come amid increasing regulation, scrutiny, and competition across youth social media. With legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act advancing in the US, platforms are racing to demonstrate proactive safety measures.
Additionally, customization features provide differentiation versus competitors such as Snapchat, which long offered icon and theme options via paid tiers. Instagram’s inclusion of such features signals a shift where personalization and demographic specific design become part of product strategy, not just aesthetics.
