Instagram Teams Up with Schools to Tackle Online Bullying and Student Safet

Highlights

• Instagram’s new School Partnership Program allows schools to report online bullying and safety concerns.
• Participating schools get a School Partner badge and access to educational resources for students and parents.
• The programs with a pilot for the U.S. middle and high schools.

Instagram has launched a new School Partnership Program with a pilot for the U.S. middle and high schools to speed up the reporting of online bullying and other student safety concerns.

As announced in a detailed press release, verified schools that sign up for the Instagram School Partnership Program can report posts or student profiles that may violate Instagram’s guidelines. These reports will be prioritised for review, and schools will be notified of any actions taken.

Caption – Schools can sign up for the Instagram School Partnership Program on the app. (Image credit – Meta)

According to Instagram, this initiative is designed to help educators quickly flag potential safety issues, especially those related to bullying.

“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,” Instagram writes in the press release.

Caption – The School Partner badge will appear on the school profile. (Image credit – Meta)

Schools participating in the program will have a “school partner” badge on their profiles. Instagram is also providing educational resources to help students, parents, and educators use the platform safely.

Caption – Partner schools will have access to educational resources on the app. (Imafe credit – Meta)

The program has been in testing for the past year with 60 schools, developed in collaboration with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Other middle and high schools in the U.S. can now join the waitlist to participate.

Instagram’s new initiative comes as lawmakers push for stricter social media regulations. The Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), which aims to ban social media access for kids under 13, is advancing in the Senate. Meanwhile, two other bills including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) have already been approved by the U.S. Senate.

Instagram has introduced several safety measures in recent years, including private-by-default accounts for users under 16, restricted messaging features and parental controls. This new school partnership program is another step toward making the platform safer for young users.

FAQs

Q1. What is Instagram’s School Partnership Program?

Answer. It’s a new initiative enabling U.S. middle and high schools to report online bullying and safety concerns, with prioritised reviews and updates on actions taken.

Q2. What features are offered to schools participating in the Instagram program?

Answer. Schools receive a “school partner” badge on their profiles and access to educational resources for students, parents, and educators to ensure safe use of the platform.

Q3. What recent US legislation aligns with Instagram’s student safety measures?

Answer. U.S. legislation like KOSMA, KOSA, and COPPA focuses on stricter regulations for children’s online safety, aligning with Instagram’s measures like parental controls and restricted accounts for users under 16.

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