Instagram's School Partnership Program Enhances Student Safety
Instagram is rolling out a new initiative designed to boost online safety for students: a school partnership program. This program prioritizes moderation reports submitted by verified middle and high schools in the U.S., ensuring quicker action on potential violations of Instagram's guidelines.
How it Works
Participating schools can directly report posts or student accounts that they believe breach Instagram's rules. These reports are then fast-tracked for review, and the schools receive notifications regarding the actions taken. Instagram hopes this will empower educators to more effectively address teen safety concerns, particularly bullying.
Schools participating in the program will display a "school partner" badge on their profiles, signaling their involvement. Instagram will also provide educational resources offering tips for safe app usage to educators, parents, guardians, and students.
Pilot Program and Development
Instagram has been testing this program for the past year with 60 schools, collaborating with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) to refine it. Other U.S. middle and high schools can now sign up to join the program's waitlist.
Broader Context: Online Safety Legislation
This new program arrives as lawmakers are pushing forward with legislation like the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), which aims to prevent children under 13 from accessing social media. The Senate Committee on Commerce approved the bill in February. The Senate has also passed the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), demonstrating a growing focus on protecting young people online.
Instagram has also implemented other safety measures, such as setting teen accounts (under 16) to private by default, limiting messaging capabilities, and introducing parental controls.
Source: TechCrunch