The new rules come just before Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, is set to testify before Congress.
Through a blog post, Instagram on Tuesday said it will more carefully curate the kinds of content it recommends to teenagers, and will try to nudge youngsters if they dwell on one topic for too long.
The photo-sharing app and its parent company Meta, formerly known as Facebook, both have been under fire for the ways their services could cause body image issues and the online safety risk for younger users.
Scrutiny from lawmakers and state Attorneys General ratcheted up after a Wall Street Journal report that said internal documents, leaked by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, showed the company knew Instagram could have harmful mental health effects on teenage girls. Facebook has said the leaked documents have been used to paint a false picture of the company's work.
Instagram's announcement isn't likely to change what is sure to be a bipartisan tongue lashing at Wednesday's Senate hearing.
In response to the blog post, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn criticized the announcement, calling it "hollow" and in a statement said: "Meta is attempting to shift attention from their mistakes by rolling out parental guides, use timers, and content control features that consumers should have had all along."
Instagram said it will roll-out its first tools for parents and guardians to see how much time their teens spend on the app and set time limits early next year.
An Instagram spokeswoman said it would continue its pause on plans for a version of Instagram for kids. That project was suspended amid growing opposition.
