SAN FRANCISCO — Meta Platforms is rolling out enhanced privacy and parental controls for Instagram accounts of users under 18 years old, in a significant overhaul aimed at addressing growing concerns around the negative effects of social media.

Meta will port all designated Instagram accounts automatically to "Teen Accounts", which will be private accounts by default, the company said on Sept 17.

Users of such accounts can be messaged and tagged only by accounts they follow or are already connected to, while sensitive content settings will be dialled to the most restrictive available.

Users under 16 years of age can change the default settings only with a parent's permission. Parents will also get a suite of settings to monitor who their children are engaging with and limit their use of the app.

Several studies have linked social media use to higher levels of depression, anxiety and learning disabilities, particularly in young users.

Meta, ByteDance's TikTok and Google's YouTube already face hundreds of lawsuits filed on behalf of children and school districts about the addictive nature of social media.

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