Instagram rolls out anti-bullying ‘Restrict’ tool that lets you hide nasty comments posted by users without them knowing
INSTAGRAM users have a new way to hide nasty comments from bullies.
The app has rolled out a tool called Restrict that allows you to secretly ban comments from certain users.
If you "restrict" someone, their comments under your photos won't be visible to anyone other than the person who left them.
This is also known as "shadow banning", because the blocked individual has no idea people can't see their posts.
The new feature released Wednesday is part of a campaign by Instagram to fight online bullying following heavy criticism that the app isn't doing enough to protect its young fans.
You can restrict someone by swiping left on a comment, or directly on the profile of the account you intend to restrict.
"Bullying is a complex issue, and we know that young people face a disproportionate amount of online bullying but are reluctant to report or block peers who bully them," Instagram said.
"Restrict is designed to empower you to quietly protect your account while still keeping an eye on the bully."
As well as hiding their comments, restricting someone means they won't be able to see when you're active on Instagram.
They also won't see whether or not you've read a direct message from them.
Instagram is pushing hard to shake the app's reputation around bullying and online harassment.
It's one of several social media platforms repeatedly criticised for failing to act quickly enough in removing abusive and other potentially dangerous content.
Politicians and campaigners around the world have called for greater regulation to be introduced to enable better policing of social media and hold sites to account for not protecting their users.
Instagram – the key facts
Here's what you need to know...
- Instagram is a social network for sharing photos and videos
- It was created back in October 2010 as an iPhone-exclusive app
- A separate version for Android devices was released 18 months later
- The app rose to popularity thanks to its filters system, which lets you quickly edit your photos with cool effects
- When it first launched, users could only post square 1:1 ratio images, but that rule was changed in 2015
- In 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1billion in cash and stock
- In 2018, some analysts believe the app is worth closer to $100billion
- In October 2015, Instagram confirmed that more than 40billion photos had been uploaded to the app
- And in 2018, Instagram revealed that more than a billion people were using the app every month
When first discussing Restrict earlier this year, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said: "Our mission is to connect you with the people and things you love, which only works if people feel comfortable expressing themselves on Instagram.
"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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Do you worry about what teens see on social media? Let us know in the comments!
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