Document Leak: How Instagram Planned to Win Back Teenagers Despite Safety Criticism

Internal Strategy of Meta, 2023–2025

Leaked internal documents from 2023–2025 reveal how Meta systematically worked to regain teenage audiences on Instagram, even as public criticism around child safety intensified. While the company publicly emphasized responsibility and protection, internal memos focused on one priority: reversing the decline in teen engagement and overtaking TikTok by 2027.

According to internal data, daily active teen users in North America and Europe dropped by nearly 3.9% year-over-year, while monthly active teens declined by 8.4%. Despite overall platform growth, Meta acknowledged that younger users were migrating to competitors. Internally, executives described stopping this decline by the end of 2024 as a “stretch goal” requiring simultaneous success across product, marketing, and recommendation systems.

Engagement Tactics and Growth Metrics

Documents show that nearly 60% of new teen accounts added no friends on their first day, a metric directly linked to long-term retention. As a response, Instagram prioritized friend recommendations, early social graph building, and private interactions. Features like Notes were highlighted as early successes, but leadership admitted that at least two or three similar wins would be required to change the trend.

Meta also invested heavily in Reels, improving AI-driven recommendations to accelerate the spread of trending content. Internal research showed Instagram often lagged TikTok by 5–7 days in trend adoption, weakening its relevance among teens.

Safety vs. Incentives

While Meta launched Teen Accounts, parental controls, and content restrictions, internal KPIs remained tied to teen growth. This created what critics call a conflict of incentives. By mid-2024, only 20% of non-using teens said they were even considering joining Instagram, often citing pressure to appear “perfect” as a major deterrent.

The leak underscores a central tension: Instagram’s dual push for safety compliance and aggressive youth engagement. For regulators and society, it raises questions about transparency, algorithmic audits, and whether digital well-being can truly compete with growth targets.