Changes
415 times Instagram's guidance changed, newest first. Each shows what was said before, and what replaced it.
2026
Teen safetyJun 2026
Instead of placing teens in the most restrictive sensitive-content setting by default, Instagram now describes a default 13+ setting and a separate, stricter Limited Content setting.
Before
Introducing Instagram Teen Accounts: Built-In Protections for Teens, Peace of Mind for Parents“We developed Teen Accounts with parents and teens in mind. The new Teen Account protections are designed to address parents’ biggest concerns, including who their teens are talking to online, the content they’re seeing and whether their time is being well spent.”
After
New 13+ Content Settings for Teen Accounts Expanding Globally on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger“To help make sure our new content settings are working to deliver the positive, age-appropriate experience we want for Teen Accounts, we asked Alice (formerly ActiveFence) to evaluate our Teen Account settings and perform sophisticated, adversarial stress-testing.”
Instagram InsightsMay 2026
Advice to identify successful content by its reach is refined to emphasize engagement rates when explaining why reach differs.
Before
What Creators Need To Know About Instagram Recommendations“Fluctuations in reach are common, but if you’re using a Business or Creator Account you can check your Instagram Insights to monitor trends and content performance. Watch out for patterns and keep tabs on which pieces of content are getting more reach to help inform your content strategy.”
After
A few tips on how to read your insights, particularly engagement rates and connected versus unconnected reach.“Short video with some advice on how to read your insights on Instagram. Also, by the way, insights are on edits as well, particularly for those of you who create reels. Now, the thing I think that matters most and that you really should focus on is not how much reach your post got.”
Instagram InsightsMay 2026
The emphasis shifts from views, reach and sends per reach to engagement rates across likes, sends, comments and saves as the main way to explain performance.
Before
We’re making an update within insights to make “Views” the primary metric for Reels, Stories, photos and carousels.“I wanted to give you a quick heads up about a change coming to Insights on Instagram. Now for a long time now you've been able to see how many plays a reel gets, and we're going to evolve that forward and make it consistent across all types of content.”
After
A few tips on how to read your insights, particularly engagement rates and connected versus unconnected reach.“Short video with some advice on how to read your insights on Instagram. Also, by the way, insights are on edits as well, particularly for those of you who create reels. Now, the thing I think that matters most and that you really should focus on is not how much reach your post got.”
ReachMay 2026
Advice on analyzing follower versus non-follower reach now adds that like rates matter more for followers, while send rates matter more for non-followers.
Before
Tips for Improving Your Reach“We’ve added features and controls like Close Friends, Favorites and Following so fans can further customize their experience. Encourage your top fans to add you to their Favorites - that way, your content will show up higher in their feeds.”
After
A few tips on how to read your insights, particularly engagement rates and connected versus unconnected reach.“You should also take a look at the connected reach versus the unconnected reach. Now, what connected reach is is the number of people who saw your post who actually follow you, and unconnected reach or recommendations is the number of people who don't follow you who actually saw your post.”
ReachMay 2026
The newer statement adds that likes matter more for reach among followers, while sends matter more for reach among non-followers.
Before
Adam Mosseri gives insight on how Instagram ranking works!“There are two sides to how ranking works for organic content. There's one side which is for the accounts that follow you. So everyone who's followed you, we're trying to find as many of them as possible who are interested in your post and to show them that content.”
After
A few tips on how to read your insights, particularly engagement rates and connected versus unconnected reach.“You should also take a look at the connected reach versus the unconnected reach. Now, what connected reach is is the number of people who saw your post who actually follow you, and unconnected reach or recommendations is the number of people who don't follow you who actually saw your post.”
SendsMay 2026
Advice for explaining reach broadened from watch time, like rate and send rate to engagement rates that also include comments and saves.
Before
If you’re trying to optimize for reach, the metrics you should pay the most attention to are average watch time (for reels), like rate (likes per people reached) and send rate (sends per people reached).“These are the three metrics you should pay the most attention to if you're optimizing for reach. I want to be clear: you need to be you and be authentic. Don't just care about reach, but obviously you want to create content that's going to reach more people.”
After
A few tips on how to read your insights, particularly engagement rates and connected versus unconnected reach.“Short video with some advice on how to read your insights on Instagram. Also, by the way, insights are on edits as well, particularly for those of you who create reels. Now, the thing I think that matters most and that you really should focus on is not how much reach your post got.”
EngagementMay 2026
The newer advice refines which engagement rates to prioritize by audience: like rates matter more for followers, while send rates matter more for non-followers.
Before
Sharing a few tips if you want to post more reels in 2026.“Some advice for those of you who are video creators going into 2026. If you don't create reels, you feel free to skip the rest of this video. Three things: one, check out the edits app specifically the inspiration tab for ideas for content to create and to get a sense for what's trending right now and what's resonating with people.”
After
A few tips on how to read your insights, particularly engagement rates and connected versus unconnected reach.“You should also take a look at the connected reach versus the unconnected reach. Now, what connected reach is is the number of people who saw your post who actually follow you, and unconnected reach or recommendations is the number of people who don't follow you who actually saw your post.”
RestrictMay 2026
Restrict now also applies to Instants, including in the standalone Instants app, to limit incoming instants from specific friends.
Before
Block, Mute, Restrict, Report – What’s the difference?“This feature allows you to discreetly restrict someone without alerting them. The restricted person won’t see when you’re online, and you won’t receive notifications for their comments. They also can’t tag or mention you or remix your content.”
After
Introducing Instants – for sharing in the moment“All the safety and privacy protections built into Instagram apply to Instants, whether you're on Instagram or on the Instants app. Instagram’s in-app controls including block, mute and restrict all apply to instants – so you can limit receiving instants from specific friends.”
Parental supervisionMay 2026
Existing Instagram supervision and daily time limits automatically extended to Instants, including time spent in its separate app.
Before
Introducing Teen Accounts in India on Instagram“For teens under 16, any changes to make settings less restrictive will require parental approval. Parents can also enable supervision for older teens (16+) at any time, allowing them to review and approve changes to their teen’s safety settings.”
After
Introducing Instants – for sharing in the moment“All the safety and privacy protections built into Instagram apply to Instants, whether you're on Instagram or on the Instants app. Instagram’s in-app controls including block, mute and restrict all apply to instants – so you can limit receiving instants from specific friends.”
Audience growthMay 2026
The guidance shifts from treating follower count as important but secondary to engagement to saying creators need consistent reach rather than more followers.
Before
Quick thought: Engagement rates are more important than follower counts.“Quick thought, the engagement rate on your content is more important than your follower count. Now it's not that your follower count is important, it is important. It'll definitely correlate with reach. The more followers you have, the more reach you're gonna get on average.”
After
Rapid fire questions“Creators don't need more followers, they need more reach and stability of reach. I think people are too focused on how many people follow them, some of which might not even use Instagram anymore, and not focus enough on how many people they reach consistently, and that's something that we're trying to figure out how to deliver better over time.”
Teen safetyMay 2026
Parental supervision becomes centralized across Instagram and other Meta apps in Family Center, with one invitation to set it up across platforms.
Before
Introducing Teen Accounts in India on Instagram“For teens under 16, any changes to make settings less restrictive will require parental approval. Parents can also enable supervision for older teens (16+) at any time, allowing them to review and approve changes to their teen’s safety settings.”
After
New Supervision Tools Give Parents Insights Into Their Teen’s Algorithm and More“A Central Hub: All supervised accounts on Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger are now consolidated in Family Center, so parents can find and manage their teen’s safety settings in one place without switching between apps.”
Parental supervisionMay 2026
Parents can now send a single supervision invitation covering Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook and Messenger.
Before
Giving Teens and Parents More Ways to Manage Their Time on Our Apps“Update on May 14, 2024 on 9:05AM PT: Starting today, we’re making it simpler for parents to see and manage all the teen accounts they supervise across different apps – Instagram, Facebook, Messenger and Meta Quest – in one place via Family Center, instead of having to go into each individual app.”
After
New Supervision Tools Give Parents Insights Into Their Teen’s Algorithm and More“A Central Hub: All supervised accounts on Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger are now consolidated in Family Center, so parents can find and manage their teen’s safety settings in one place without switching between apps.”
Parental supervisionMay 2026
Family Center expanded from an Instagram supervision hub to a unified hub for Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger, with a single supervision invitation across those services.
Before
New Supervision Tools“New Supervision Tools Today, we’re introducing new supervision tools on Instagram and the launch of our Family Center – a new, central place for parents/guardians to be more involved in their teens’ online experience. Let me know what additional features you’d like to see”
After
New Supervision Tools Give Parents Insights Into Their Teen’s Algorithm and More“A Central Hub: All supervised accounts on Instagram, Meta Horizon, Facebook, and Messenger are now consolidated in Family Center, so parents can find and manage their teen’s safety settings in one place without switching between apps.”
User interestsMay 2026
Your Algorithm expanded beyond Reels to Explore, with main Feed support announced as coming soon.
Before
We’re expanding Your Algo to all English speakers globally today.“We’re expanding Your Algo to all English speakers globally today. If you haven’t seen this yet, you can tune your algorithm in the Reels tab by adding and removing topics based on your interests. Since it’s the start of the year, for a limited time you can also tell your algo the top three interests you want to see more of in 2026.”
After
New Supervision Tools Give Parents Insights Into Their Teen’s Algorithm and More“Last December, Instagram launched Your Algorithm, a tool that lets you customize your algorithm to see more or less about certain topics. This feature is available on Reels and Explore in English-speaking countries, and will soon come to your main Feed.”
Teen safetyMay 2026
Content restrictions extend beyond recommendation surfaces to Feed, Stories, comments and linked content in DMs, including content shared by accounts teens follow.
Before
Introducing Teen Accounts in India on Instagram“The Teen Account protections are specifically designed to tackle key concerns parents have, such as who their teens interact with online, the type of content they are exposed to, and how they manage their time on the platform.”
After
Instagram Teen Accounts in APAC Will Be Inspired by 13+ Movie Ratings Criteria and Parent Feedback“guidelines in recommendations (Explore, Reels, and in-Feed), Feed, and Stories – even when shared by someone they follow – or comments. If someone sends a teen a link to such content in DMs, they won’t be able to open it.”
ReachApr 2026
Recommendation eligibility checks are expanding to reposted photos and carousels, so accounts posting mostly other people's content can lose eligibility to reach non-followers proactively.
Before
Tips for Improving Your Reach“We’ve added features and controls like Close Friends, Favorites and Following so fans can further customize their experience. Encourage your top fans to add you to their Favorites - that way, your content will show up higher in their feeds.”
After
Original creators deserve to be rewarded for their work, not compete with accounts that simply re-upload it.“But until now, we've only looked at the reels you've posted over the last month. So we're trying to give everyone a bit of a heads up here. But over the next month, we're going to start looking at your photos and your carousel as well.”
Content recommendationsApr 2026
Instagram extended its original-content protections from reels to photos and carousels, making accounts that primarily aggregate those formats ineligible for recommendations.
Before
Announcing some changes to further reward original content on Instagram:“making a spin on the content or making it their own in some way, shape or form. And what we're going to start doing is trying to avoid recommending content from aggregators across Instagram. So aggregators will still be able to reach their followers, but we're going to try to focus recommendations much less on aggregators and much more on original content creators.”
After
Rewarding original creators on Instagram“Today, we’re updating how we reward original content. The same protections we introduced to reels in 2024 will now apply to photos and carousels. This means content aggregators who primarily re-upload others' work in photos and carousel posts will no longer be eligible for recommendations across Instagram.”
RemixApr 2026
Instagram expands its advice beyond using Remix to recommend collaboration and attribution tools for third-party content, and Stories or reposts for simply sharing others’ work.
Before
Tips for Improving Your Reach“reposts of a reel that’s already on Instagram, content with noticeable watermarks, or accounts that regularly collect and reshare others’ content on their feed. Pro tip: Use the Remix tool instead to add your own spin to a popular reel.”
After
Rewarding original creators on Instagram“If you regularly publish posts and reels that feature third-party content, follow these additional tips to prevent your content from being categorized as unoriginal: - Use our collaboration tools. Features like collabs, remix, or the paid partnership label for branded content make it easy to include potential third-party content in posts you had a role in creating while ensuring everyone else involved gets credit.”
Recommendation eligibilityApr 2026
Instagram refines its originality advice by explaining how collaboration tools, attribution features and sharing tools can help creators use third-party content appropriately.
Before
This is the second video in a short series where I’m breaking down key things to know about ranking on Instagram.“This is the second video in a short series where I’m breaking down key things to know about ranking on Instagram. The best way to maximize your reach is to have your content show up to people who don’t yet follow you in recommendations, which are an increasingly important part of the app.”
After
Rewarding original creators on Instagram“If you regularly publish posts and reels that feature third-party content, follow these additional tips to prevent your content from being categorized as unoriginal: - Use our collaboration tools. Features like collabs, remix, or the paid partnership label for branded content make it easy to include potential third-party content in posts you had a role in creating while ensuring everyone else involved gets credit.”
Recommendation eligibilityApr 2026
Instagram expands account-level originality checks from recent reels to photos and carousels, making accounts that mostly post others’ content ineligible for recommendations.
Before
This is the second video in a short series where I’m breaking down key things to know about ranking on Instagram.“This is the second video in a short series where I’m breaking down key things to know about ranking on Instagram. The best way to maximize your reach is to have your content show up to people who don’t yet follow you in recommendations, which are an increasingly important part of the app.”
After
Original creators deserve to be rewarded for their work, not compete with accounts that simply re-upload it.“But until now, we've only looked at the reels you've posted over the last month. So we're trying to give everyone a bit of a heads up here. But over the next month, we're going to start looking at your photos and your carousel as well.”
Original contentApr 2026
Instagram clarified that enhancing reused content means adding meaningful value, such as new information, context, or perspective, for it to qualify as original.
Before
Announcing some changes to further reward original content on Instagram:“Announcing some changes to further reward original content on Instagram: - First, when we find reposted content in recommendations, we will replace it with the original. We’ll also add a label to the repost linking back to the original, which will remain visible to the reposter’s followers.”
After
Rewarding original creators on Instagram“Original content is work that you wholly created or reflects your unique perspective. Here are some examples: - Photos or videos you took — your photography and edits are reflective of your creative vision. - Content you designed — whether it's a photo series, a how-to guide, or a visual story, if it’s something you personally created, it's your original content.”
Original contentApr 2026
The aggregator restriction was refined from repeatedly sharing unenhanced copies to having most posts over a month come from other accounts.
Before
Announcing some changes to further reward original content on Instagram:“Announcing some changes to further reward original content on Instagram: - First, when we find reposted content in recommendations, we will replace it with the original. We’ll also add a label to the repost linking back to the original, which will remain visible to the reposter’s followers.”
After
Original creators deserve to be rewarded for their work, not compete with accounts that simply re-upload it.“You're a creator or an aggregator on Instagram. There's a big change coming this week that you should really know about. Now, about two years ago, we announced that we're going to try to shift more reach from aggregators and people who repost other people's content to the original content creators.”
Teen safetyApr 2026
Content protections expand to block teens from following or interacting with age-inappropriate accounts and to block a wider range of mature search terms.
Before
Introducing Teen Accounts in India on Instagram“The Teen Account protections are specifically designed to tackle key concerns parents have, such as who their teens interact with online, the type of content they are exposed to, and how they manage their time on the platform.”
After
Instagram Expands Teen Accounts Inspired by 13+ Content Ratings“We’ve improved and refined our technology to proactively identify content that goes against our updated age-appropriate guidelines, and we’re using this improved technology across Instagram, including: - Accounts: Teens will no longer be able to follow accounts that we’ve found regularly share age-inappropriate content, or if their name or bio suggests the account is inappropriate for teens.”
Recommendation eligibilityApr 2026
Instagram tightened recommendation rules for teens under its updated default 13+ setting, adding restrictions on strong language, certain risky stunts, and content such as marijuana paraphernalia.
Before
Helping Creators Find New Audiences“Content that promotes the use of certain regulated products, such as tobacco or vaping products, adult products and services, or pharmaceuticals. - Sensitive or low-quality content about health or finance, such as: - Content that promotes or depicts cosmetic procedures.”
After
Instagram Expands Teen Accounts Inspired by 13+ Content Ratings“Teen Accounts were already designed to protect teens from inappropriate content and we’ve continued to refine our age-appropriate guidelines to hide even more potentially inappropriate content in the updated default 13+ content setting. We’ve decided to align our policies with an independent standard that parents are familiar with, so we reviewed our age-appropriate guidelines against movie ratings criteria for ages 13+ and updated them accordingly.”
ReelsApr 2026
The planned expansion of Your Algorithm beyond Reels reached the search tab, with home-feed support now planned for the next few months.
Before
Introducing a new way to see and control your algorithm“When you’re watching Reels, look for the icon in the upper right corner (two lines with hearts). Tap it to open Your Algorithm. You can see what topics we think you’re interested in, tell us which topics you want to see more or less of, and your recommendations will adapt.”
After
A few features of Instagram that you might not know about, but might appreciate.“A few maybe underappreciated features of Instagram to help you shape the experience a little bit more. The first is your algorithm, which you can get to both on your reels tab and on the search tab.”
ReelsApr 2026
Your Algorithm was no longer limited to the Reels tab and could also shape recommendations on the search tab.
Before
Head of Instagram ADAM MOSSERI returns!!!“Two years ago, there was a meme on threads where people were writing letters to the algorithm, making requests. Like, stop showing my high school friends' kids photos. Like, I do not care. Like, I kind of stop.”
After
A few features of Instagram that you might not know about, but might appreciate.“A few maybe underappreciated features of Instagram to help you shape the experience a little bit more. The first is your algorithm, which you can get to both on your reels tab and on the search tab.”
Content recommendationsApr 2026
Your Algorithm expands from Reels to Search, while Home feed support remains forthcoming.
Before
We’re expanding Your Algo to all English speakers globally today.“We’re expanding Your Algo to all English speakers globally today. If you haven’t seen this yet, you can tune your algorithm in the Reels tab by adding and removing topics based on your interests. Since it’s the start of the year, for a limited time you can also tell your algo the top three interests you want to see more of in 2026.”
After
A few features of Instagram that you might not know about, but might appreciate.“A few maybe underappreciated features of Instagram to help you shape the experience a little bit more. The first is your algorithm, which you can get to both on your reels tab and on the search tab.”
Instagram ShoppingApr 2026
Instagram moved from announcing a limited native affiliate-tool test to rolling out affiliate-link product tags in Reels that let creators earn commissions.
Before
New Ways for Creators to Make a Living“Creators have always used Instagram to share products they love, and people trust their favorite accounts for inspiration and new products. Today, select creators can tag products from the brands they work with or use Shops if they have their own product line.”
After
You can now use affiliate links to tag products in your reels and earn a commission when people shop your content.“You can now use affiliate links to tag products in your reels and earn a commission when people shop your content. Rolling out over the coming weeks.”
ReachApr 2026
Trial reels can now be scheduled in advance instead of only being posted immediately.
Before
We’re introducing trial reels to depressurize the experience of sharing reels and help people understand how content might perform before sharing it widely.“We’re introducing trial reels to depressurize the experience of sharing reels and help people understand how content might perform before sharing it widely. Trial reels get shown to non-followers first and if you like how they perform, you can choose to share them with your followers.”
After
Back in November someone asked a question on why you can’t schedule a trial reel.“Back in November, someone asked, "Why can't you schedule a trial reel?" And so we built it, and now you can. If you're not familiar with trials, basically they allow you to share a reel not with your followers but with people who do not follow you yet, and you can see how well it does.”
ReelsApr 2026
Trial Reels became schedulable after previously lacking scheduling support.
After
Back in November someone asked a question on why you can’t schedule a trial reel.“Back in November, someone asked, "Why can't you schedule a trial reel?" And so we built it, and now you can. If you're not familiar with trials, basically they allow you to share a reel not with your followers but with people who do not follow you yet, and you can see how well it does.”