How to block Instagram on school and company devices

Instagram bundle ID, App Store ID and Android package name

An MDM blocks apps by identifier, not by name. iOS consoles want the bundle ID, some accept the App Store ID, and Android consoles want the package name. Note that the Instagram identifiers differ between the two platforms.

com.burbn.instagram
com.burbn.barcelona
com.burbn.basel
com.burbn.moonshot

com.instagram.android
com.instagram.lite
com.instagram.barcelona
com.instagram.basel

Age ratings are shown as listed in the App Store at our last check. Apple introduced 13+, 16+ and 18+ tiers with iOS 26, so the live listing can show a newer tier. To check any other app, use the bundle ID lookup.

Other apps from the same developer group

Instagram belongs to Meta Platforms. If your policy says "Instagram", block the table above. If it says "Meta social apps" or "social media", these belong on the list too.

Messenger Kids (com.facebook.talk, App Store ID 1285713171, same name on Android) is rated 4+ and built for parent-approved contacts. Many families keep it while blocking Instagram. The social media apps list groups every app in the category, and apps that share data explains why some companies block a whole publisher.

Why schools and employers block Instagram

Instagram is rarely banned for security reasons alone. The reasons we hear most come down to attention, contact and data.

How to block the Instagram app with MDM

Hiding an app on iPhone and iPad needs supervised devices, usually enrolled through Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager. On Android, the cleanest route is managed Google Play with Instagram simply not approved.

Block Instagram on a child's phone

A family phone is not enrolled in an MDM, so the controls are Screen Time on iPhone and Family Link on Android. Both can block the app. Neither can block Reels alone.

Can you block Instagram Reels but keep Instagram?

No, not on the device. Reels is a tab inside the same app, built from the same code and served from the same servers as the feed, Stories and messages. Every control works at a coarser level than that.

If short video is the real problem, treat it as a category: Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Snapchat Spotlight all sit in apps you can block whole.

Block instagram.com and Instagram at DNS level

Removing the app sends people to the browser. A web block and a network filter catch that, on devices you manage and on ones you do not.

A network block stops at the edge of your Wi-Fi. On mobile data or a hotspot the app works again unless the device block is also in place.

What blocking the Instagram app does not cover

One bundle ID removes one icon. These are the other ways back to the same feed and the control that closes each one.

More tricks, and their fixes, in how students get around restrictions.

Look-alike and companion apps your list should catch

With Instagram gone, the next search is for an app that saves or reposts Instagram content, or tracks followers. Many of these ask for an Instagram login, which is a risk of its own. These are real examples from our app database.

Then there are the apps people move to instead. They are separate decisions, but worth putting in front of whoever owns the policy.

For apps that carry real risk to students, see the dangerous apps list and apps to block on school iPads.

How to test the Instagram block

Run this on one iPhone or iPad, one Android device and one computer before you scope the policy to everyone.

• Sync the test iPhone and check the profile under Settings, General, VPN & Device Management.
• Confirm the Instagram icon is gone and that Spotlight search cannot open it.
• Search the App Store for Instagram and Threads and confirm they cannot be opened after install.
• On Android, search managed Google Play for Instagram and Instagram Lite. Neither should appear.
• Tap an Instagram link in Messages or Mail. It should open in the browser, and the browser should block it.
• Open instagram.com and instagram.com/reels in every installed browser.
• Try installing a repost or story saver app from the table above.
• Switch to mobile data or a hotspot and repeat the browser test.

Block Instagram by category, not one ID at a time

Four Instagram IDs are easy to type. Hundreds of repost apps, follower trackers and new social apps are not, and they change every month.

Blocklists for MDM are $99 a month or $990 a year per organization, and $249 a month for districts and IT providers. See how the MDM app blocklist feed works, or browse the mobile app database.