Instagram lets teenage users choose a different app icon
Most of the talk about teenagers using social media centers around keeping them safe or restricting what they are able to do. In many regards Instagram is no different, but now younger users are being given something extra.
Instagram’s design team has proudly announced the users with Teen accounts will be able to choose between a number of “aesthetics” for the app. Not available to anyone with a non-Teen account, the new option allows teenagers to select a different icons for the app, designed by Carlos Oliveras Colom.
Instagram’s design team posted on Threads about the update, saying: “Introducing customizable app icons, a creative new update to Teen Accounts! With the creativity of illustrator @doncarrrlos, we've introduced six different aesthetics that teens can use to customize their app icons, including chrome, cosmic, slime and more”.
The response to the teen-only customization options is a bit mixed. Teens are generally ambivalent, but non-teens are loudly questioning why Instagram is not offering the same options – or similar – to all users.
The main Instagram account shared images of all of the various icons:
Providing quick instruction for how to make use of the new icons, the social media company says:
P.S. To change your app icon, just press the Instagram logo at the top of the home feed after opening the app 💗
Colom expresses delight at having been invited to produce the icons, saying:
A bunch of fun explorations were made to get to these final icons. I was surprised when I got to have creative freedom to keep pushing the boundaries of the logo.
Where do your reaction fall in response to this?