We recently introduced Instagram Teen Accounts, a new experience for teens, guided by parents. Teen Accounts were designed to give parents peace of mind that their teens are having safe, age-appropriate experiences on Instagram, with built-in protections turned on automatically. These protections help limit unwanted contact and inappropriate content, as well as bullying and harassment.
We’re continuing to listen to parents – and we hear that they want additional support when it comes to cyberbullying, particularly when it happens at school.
Today, we’re rolling out a new School Partnership Program, starting with a pilot open to all US middle and high schools. The School Partnership Program, developed with support from the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ISTE+ASCD), is designed to help educators report potential teen safety issues, including bullying, directly to us.
“Our nationally-representative research involving US middle and high schoolers has identified that only 13% of targeted youth report being cyberbullied to the school. A reason frequently cited is that educators are not in a position to do anything about it. Instagram’s new School Partnership program changes that. This system will now fast-track solutions that students and educators want to see.”
– Sameer Hinduja, PhD, Co-director, Cyberbullying Research Center
We recognize that teachers and educators, along with parents, play a big role in helping teens navigate online spaces. We don’t want social media to be a distraction from school, which is why we give parents easy ways to block their teens from using Instagram during school hours. For teachers and educators who are also grappling with how to help teens navigate social media, we hope this program provides an additional way to help them tackle bullying and online safety issues.
“Within the first week of partnering with Instagram, we saw bullying and harassing posts and profiles taken down. Their prioritizing of verified school accounts and speedy response supports schools in reducing student anxiety and increasing student safety. They’re also focused on prevention, with lots of resources for students and families to support a safe social media experience.”
– D.J. Ashford, Studio Art and Media Teacher, LEA Representative, Muwekma Ohlone Middle School
Over the past year, we’ve worked with the ISTE+ASCD to test the School Partnership Program with 60 schools, and provide more support to school administrators when it comes to teen safety online. We’ve seen promising early results from our test, so today, we’re opening enrollment up more widely.
Schools that sign up to become school partners on Instagram receive:
- Prioritized reporting: Reports submitted by school partners that may violate Instagram’s Community Standards will be prioritized for review. Schools will also receive status updates on the reports and notifications as soon as Instagram takes action on the report.
- Educational resources: Instagram will provide resources that help support educators, parents, guardians and students safely navigate Instagram.
- Profile banner: School partners will receive a banner on their profile so parents and students know they’re an official Instagram partner. If someone taps the school partner’s profile banner, they’ll see more information about Instagram’s school partnerships program.
“Education leaders have made it clear that they need more control over social media in order to ensure a healthy digital culture in their schools. We’re excited that, now, school reports will be heard and acted upon in a timely and purposeful way.”
– Richard Culatta, CEO of ISTE+ASCD
Middle and high schools in the US can sign up for the School Partnerships Program waitlist by visiting the Instagram settings, then selecting ‘Account type and tools’ or ‘Business tools and controls’ full step by step instructions here. Schools can also visit about.instagram.com/community/educators to learn more and sign up for the waitlist. We look forward to partnering with schools to further support youth safety.
