Instagram is introducing new policies and features to limit interactions between teenagers on its platform and adults they don’t follow.
Adults will no longer be able to direct message teens who don’t follow them on the platform.
Related | Tinder Will Mail You A Free COVID-19 Test
Instagram is introducing a set of new policies and features for the safety of its younger audience. The main update is the capacity to limit direct messaging between teens and suspicious adult users on the platform. Adults can no longer DM teen users who don’t follow them. And the app will also warn teens who are messaging adults who have been “exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior.”
The new “Safety Prompts” will give teen users the option to report or block adults who are trying to message them. Instagram is also introducing preventive messages informing younger users to “be careful sharing photos, videos, or information with someone you don’t know.”
Instagram says that its safety prompts will be issued when its moderation systems identify suspicious behavior from adult users. The company did not share details on how these moderations mechanisms work but explained that suspicious behavior could include sending “a large amount of friend or message requests to people under 18.”
Instagram is also introducing new “artificial intelligence and machine learning technology” to detect a person’s age when they sign up. The app requires users to be 13 and above but Instagram acknowledges that it is easy to lie about one’s age. AI could be a way to solve this.
Additionally, new teenage users who sign up will be encouraged to keep their profile and information private. If they choose to create a public account anyway, Instagram will send them a notification later “highlighting the benefits of a private account and reminding them to check their settings.”
You might also like
More from Instagram
Instagram’s New Twitter Competitor Revealed
Instagram's rumored text-based Twitter competitor still does not have a name, but now we know what it might look like. The …
You Can Now Add Songs To Your Instagram Photo Carousels
Instagram says it is testing a new feature that lets users add songs to the photo carousels they share on …
Instagram Now Lets You Add Up To 5 ‘Links In Bio’
Instagram is rolling out a new feature for adding up to 5 'links in bio' - a feature doomed to …
Instagram Collaborative Collections Are The New Way To Save And Share Content With Your Friends
Instagram is introducing a new 'Save posts with friends' that lets you create a collaborative collection for you and your …
Meta Verified Service Goes Live In The US
Want to get the coveted blue verification checkmark on Facebook and Instagram? If you're in the US, now you can. …
Instagram Is Testing A ‘Top 3’ Sticker To Boost Engagement
According to reports, Instagram is testing a new Top 3 sticker for Stories, allowing users to highlight favorite accounts, places, …
Facebook And Instagram Start Selling Blue Checks With Meta Verified
Meta Verified will give you a blue check badge on both Facebook and Instagram, along with other benefits for $12 …
Instagram Is Pulling The Plug On Live Shopping
Meta announced it will move away from live shopping on Instagram, removing the ability for users to tag products in …
How To Create Instagram Notes (And Delete Them!)
Instagram Notes are a new feature launched by Instagram that allows users to share posts containing only text and Emojis. Instagram …
