Instagram New Custom Icons Are for Teens Only

Instagram unveiled on Wednesday a new app customization feature that allows users to swap the platform’s iconic logo for themed variations on their phone’s home screen. But the catch is it’s exclusively available to teen users, sparking backlash from adults who feel locked out of personalization options that they’ve long enjoyed on other competing platforms.

The feature launched with six custom icon designs, including fire, floral, neon, clear glass, cosmic, and green slime variations of Instagram’s recognizable camera logo. Teen account holders can access the icons simply by tapping the Instagram logo at the top of their home feed.

The icons were designed by illustrator Carlos Oliveras Colom, known as @doncarrrlos, in collaboration with Instagram’s design team. Oliveras Colom, a Puerto Rican visual designer, lettering artist, and illustrator based in New York, has previously worked with some big names including Apple, Amazon Music, Adobe, and WIRED Magazine.

How the Feature Works

The custom icons are only available for Teen Accounts, which Instagram introduced in September 2024. These specialized accounts include built-in protections for minors, such as default private accounts, restricted messaging settings, and content limits to PG-13 material.

Instagram told TechCrunch it added the icons because teens love to customize their Instagram experience, and the company confirmed it has no plans to expand access to older users or paid subscribers. This shows a strategic shift from typical tech rollout patterns, where premium features often debut for paying customers before trickling down to free users.

According to Instagram, the customization aims to help teens “focus on what matters most – their friends, the content they care about, and having control over their experience.” The company positions the feature as part of its broader youth engagement strategy rather than a revenue-generating tool.

User Backlash and Market Context

In replies to Instagram’s announcement on X, users overwhelmingly pushed back against the age-gating, stating that adult users also want to customize their home screens. Some accused Instagram of chasing Snapchat with the feature, while others said it gave them “MySpace vibes.”

The comparison to Snapchat isn’t unfounded. Snapchat+ subscribers, who pay .99 per month, can choose from various custom app icons as part of their premium service. Instagram’s decision to offer icon customization for free but restrict it by age rather than payment tier represents an unusual monetization alternative.

The strategy reflects careful calculation about teen psychology versus adult willingness to pay. By making customization exclusive to the demographic most likely to share their personalized screens on social media, Instagram generates viral marketing while simultaneously making teen accounts more appealing to young users who might otherwise misrepresent their age to avoid restrictions.

The Incentive Problem

Instagram launched Teen Accounts in 2024, and earlier this year began using AI technology to identify teens who lied about their age on the social network and enroll them in the more restricted teen accounts. Teens under 16 need parental permission to change any of the built-in protections to less strict settings.

With custom icons, the company is trying a different approach. They’re using a carrot instead of a stick to make teen accounts seem more appealing. Rather than relying solely on age verification enforcement, Instagram hopes exclusive features will incentivize teens to voluntarily adopt accounts with enhanced safety guardrails.

This carrot-and-stick balance reflects broader industry challenges. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to parents at a January 2024 Senate online child safety hearing after some parents said Instagram contributed to their children’s suicides or exploitation. Teen Accounts emerged as Meta’s response to mounting regulatory pressure and parental concerns about youth safety on social platforms.

The icon customization feature represents Meta’s attempt to make safety restrictions feel less punitive. If teens view their accounts as offering exclusive perks rather than limiting freedoms, they’re theoretically less likely to circumvent age requirements or abandon the platform entirely.

The Customization Context

Younger users make sense as a target for customization options, as they overwhelmingly embraced the iPhone Home Screen customization trend, which saw renewed interest when Apple introduced widgets in 2020 with iOS 14.

The iOS 14 update combined new widgets with the existing Shortcuts app, enabling significantly higher customization than previously possible. According to app analytics firm Sensor Tower, the top 20 home screen customization apps reached 13.7 million installs and more than

million in consumer spending in the seven days following iOS 14’s September 2020 launch.

Apps like Widgetsmith dominated the trend, allowing users to create customized widgets with photos, text, and color-coordinated designs. The phenomenon went viral on TikTok, with tutorials garnering tens of millions of views as users shared elaborate themed home screens ranging from minimalist aesthetics to Windows 95 recreations.

Apple has simplified the customization process with tinted icons in iOS 18, which were updated in iOS 26. Meanwhile, Android users have had extensive customization options for far longer, though the majority of U.S. teens are on iPhones. According to Piper Sandler’s spring 2025 survey, 88% of U.S. teens own an iPhone, up from 85% in spring 2024.

Instagram’s icon feature taps directly into this established teen behavior pattern. By offering personalization that requires no technical workaround or third-party app, the company positions itself at the intersection of teens’ desire for self-expression and platform loyalty.

Implications

Instagram’s age-restricted approach signals how platforms might balance safety mandates with engagement by making restricted accounts aspirational rather than stigmatized through exclusive perks. If successful, competitors may adopt similar carrot-based approaches to youth safety.

Adult users remain frustrated by their exclusion from what many view as basic personalization. The backlash highlights broader tensions around platform personalization. Users increasingly expect more control, and age-gating seemingly arbitrary aesthetic features feels inconsistent with platforms’ usual approach of maximizing engagement across all demographics.

Instagram’s gamble is that exclusivity will strengthen teen account adoption enough to justify disappointing older users who want the same creative freedom.