Instagram Launches Schools Partnership Program to Protect Teens

As part of its broader effort to keep young users safe within its apps, and reduce instances of cyberbullying, Instagram has announced a new schools partnership program, which is designed to help teachers and educators report potential safety issues directly to Instagram. 

The program will essentially expand Instagram’s reporting capacity, by ensuring that teachers also have a direct means to highlight potential concerns.

As explained by Meta:

“Teachers and educators are some of the most visible and important adults in teens’ lives and Instagram has heard that they need more resources to support teens online. By partnering directly with schools, Instagram hopes this initiative will help the company take action on more instances of bullying and harassment, and give parents and educators more confidence as they help teens navigate online spaces.”

Schools that sign up to become an Instagram school partner will be able to issue prioritized reports to IG’s moderation team, which will be fast-tracked for review. Instagram will also provide educational resources to help support efforts to improve digital literacy, and keep young people aware of online dangers, while school partner participants will also be able to display a new banner on their profile, showing parents and students that they have made this a focus.

The banner will also link through to dedicated safety resources.

Instagram’s popularity means that it’s a key connective tool for many teens, which also, unfortunately, makes it a focus for cyberbullying.

That’s been highlighted in the recent Netflix series “Adolescence”, which was viewed over 24 million times within the first week of its release.

In the TV series, a teenager is bullied on Instagram, which then sparks anger, and real world violence as a result. The series has triggered more conversations about online safety among teen parents, and many will be looking for more assurance that enough is being done to address concerns before they get out of hand.

Instagram’s schools partnership program will help with that, expanding the platform’s reporting capacity, and giving schools more impetus, and power, to raise concerns as they see them.