CULTURE

Instagram Rolls out Two New Features to Prevent Bullying

Instagram just announced that it is adding a new feature that warns users when comments might be considered offensive. The goal is to give users a chance to reflect and reconsider if what they are saying might be inappropriate, and if they really want to go ahead and post the comment. The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri stated that “We know bullying is a challenge many face, particularly young people. We are committed to leading the industry in the fight against online bullying, and we are rethinking the whole experience of Instagram to meet that commitment. We can do more to prevent bullying from happening on Instagram, and we can do more to empower the targets of bullying to stand up for themselves.”

 

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From the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri (@mosseri): “We know bullying is a challenge many face, particularly young people. We are committed to leading the industry in the fight against online bullying, and we are rethinking the whole experience of Instagram to meet that commitment. We can do more to prevent bullying from happening on Instagram, and we can do more to empower the targets of bullying to stand up for themselves. Today we’re announcing one new feature in both areas. 💙 Encouraging Positive Interactions In the last few days, we started rolling out a new feature powered by AI that notifies people when their comment may be considered offensive before it’s posted. This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification. 🧡 Protecting Your Account From Unwanted Interactions With Restrict We wanted to create a feature that allows people to control their Instagram experience, without notifying someone who may be targeting them. Soon, we will begin testing a new way to protect your account from unwanted interactions called Restrict. 💛 It’s our responsibility to create a safe environment on Instagram. This has been an important priority for us for some time, and we are continuing to invest in better understanding and tackling this problem.” 💗 To learn more about these new updates, click the link in our bio. Artwork by @heysp

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Sometimes people can feel triggered and say things in the heat of the moment that they may later regret. This feature provides a barrier and a chance for people—some of whom may not want to be seen as bullies—the chance to cool off. Thinking before we speak can be helpful in maintaining friendships and connections that we wouldn’t want to necessarily lose in the long run.

Instagram is also about to release a feature called Restrict. The details on the Restrict option have not been made clear yet, but Mosseri describes it as “a feature that allows people to control their Instagram experience, without notifying someone who may be targeting them.”

Instagram has been taking proactive steps to ensure that all people are considered welcome on the platform and that the experience remains positive. Adam Mosseri also just celebrated his eleventh year working for Instagram.