MANILA, PHILIPPINES — On 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 yourselves up-to-date on the app’s tools and features, and to continuously have an 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).
Team Kramer on Tips for Guiding Your Child On Social Media:
“Here are some tips that have helped us prepare our kids for a positive online life
Tip 1: Stay Involved
It is very, very important to stay involved in a way that makes your kids understand that you respect their privacy but want to make sure they’re safe. Encourage them to express themselves creatively but educate them on how to be safe and secure.
Tip 2: Understand the Platform
Parents need to be familiar with the platforms your children use. Through the Guide, parents can understand how Instagram works and use the tools Instagram has to ensure that their child is safe and secure online. It also helps them to be updated on all product developments.
Tip 3: Provide a Safe Space
We need to see beyond what our children are posting. We all know that the online self is very different from our real lives, and it is no different for them. As their parents, it is our job to not only protect them but provide a safe space where they feel comfortable enough to share their struggles and ask for help and support.
Tip 4: Set Guidelines and Rules for Social Media Use
Establish guidelines to instill positive habits for your child on social media. You can impose ground rules just like we did, but remember to avoid being too strict, as this can be alienating to your child and it may encourage them to try and break those rules. Make rules that can empower them to make good decisions on their own.
Tip 5: Keep an Open Dialogue
Don’t expect to be able to monitor your kids’ online activity every hour of the day.
We need to maintain a strong line of communication with them to know what’s going on. Make sure they know that they can and should tell you if someone online is harassing them or making them feel uncomfortable. Talk to them about the consequences of misusing social media and educate them about the negative things that can happen. It may be a challenging conversation, but as a parent, you will always be the best person to discuss this to them.
Tip 6: Teach them how to share positively
Going on social media is a responsibility, and it is important to tell our children to be responsible about what they post online – encourage them to share things that can uplift people and that can contribute positively to people.”
New Features of Instagram
Message Controls
Instagram launched controls to allow people to decide whether they want to see like counts on Instagram, and whether they want to show like counts on their posts. While like counts are a signal of what is trending and popular, the platform has learnt that giving people the option to hide these can also help them focus on being themselves on Instagram.
Account Privacy
The platform now defaults teen accounts to a private experience when they join Instagram. For them and for existing teens, it is encouraged that they explore the privacy options available, which also includes deciding who can message you, who can comment on your posts, tag, or mention you.
Take A Break
Instagram is launching ‘Take A Break’ on February 4 to empower people to make informed decisions about how they’re spending their time. If someone has been scrolling for a certain amount of time, they will be asked to take a break from Instagram and suggest that they set reminders to take more breaks in the future. Instagram will also show them expert-backed tips to help them reflect and reset.
Panelist Bios
Mr. Philip Chua, Head of Instagram Public Policy, APAC
Philip is Head of Instagram Public Policy, APAC at Facebook, where he works with teams across Instagram, policy-makers, civil society, and members of the community to ensure that Instagram is a safe and open space for people to express themselves. Prior to Facebook, Philip was a Senior APAC Public Policy Manager and a Global Lead for Governments and Elections at Twitter. He previously led regional government relations at Sea Group, and worked in various roles in the public sector. Philip received an MSc in Global Politics and a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Ms. Ma. Sheila Estabillo, RSW, Plan International Philippines Child Online Protection Specialist
Sheila is Plan International Philippines’ Child Online Protection Specialist. She manages Plan’s implementation of the Down-to-Zero: Building Back Better in times of COVID 19 project that aims to better protect children at risk or victims of sexual exploitation, during in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic implemented in 12 countries across Asia and Latin America. Prior to this, Ms. Estabillo led the Cyber Safe Spaces project, which sought to empower children and young people in safeguarding themselves; educate parents, guardians and duty bearers on taboos and issues; and forge partnerships with ICT industries to proactively prevent and address online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
Ms. Ray Alyannah Lagasca, Youth For Mental Health Coalition National Chairperson
Alyannah is a young Filipino leader with twelve years of experience in youth participation, governance, and service. She serves as the National Chairperson of Youth for Mental Health Coalition, Inc, a youth-led, non-government, volunteer organization whose main goal is to fight the stigma on mental health through policy intervention, public psychoeducation, collaborative engagement, and implementation of appropriate and sustainable community-based initiatives. She is part of the technical working group for the Mental Health Act, the strategic plan on mental health, and the subcommittees of the Philippine Council on Mental Health. She is also the Vice President of the 12th National Youth Parliament, a premiere youth policy-making body.
Doug and Chesca Kramer
Doug and Chesca Kramer are one of the most popular and enduring celebrity couples. Since their marriage in 2008, the couple and their three children – Kendra, Scarlett, and Gavin – are collectively known as “Team Kramer” and have been in the spotlight for their wonderful family values and family life. Their daughter Kendra recently began using her Instagram account to express herself under their guidance and management.
