On Tuesday, Instagram announced a new partnership program for schools designed to expedite moderation report handling from verified school accounts.
The initiative is accessible to all middle and high schools across the United States, allowing them to directly report posts or student accounts that might breach the app’s guidelines. These reports are then automatically prioritized for review, with schools being notified of any actions taken.
The purpose of this program is to enable educators to report potential safety concerns among teenagers, such as bullying, more effectively.
Schools that participate in this program will have a “school partner” banner displayed on their profiles, signifying their involvement. Instagram will also provide educational resources with tips for safe app usage to educators, parents, guardians, and students.
Over the past year, Instagram has piloted the program with 60 schools and worked in collaboration with the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ISTE+ASCD) to develop it.
Other middle and high schools in the U.S. can enroll on a waitlist to join the program.
The announcement of this program comes as senators progress the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), which aims to prohibit social media access for children under 13. In February, the Senate Committee on Commerce approved the bill. The U.S. Senate has passed two other related bills: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
Instagram has also undertaken other measures focused on online safety. It introduced teen accounts for users under 16, which are defaulted to private settings, impose messaging restrictions, and include parental controls along with other limitations.
