Instagram Rolls Out New Feature To Tackle Online Abuse, Offensive Comments

Popular photo-sharing application Instagram has announced a set of new features to help protect people from abuse on the app. The company has added the ability to limit comments and DM requests during spikes of increased attention.

Instagram will also now issue stronger warnings when people try to post potentially offensive comments. The app has also added a new Hidden Words feature.

Users will now see a “Limits” feature, which will automatically hide comments and DM requests from people who don’t follow you, or who only recently followed you. To enable it, just go to your privacy settings.

The app already offers a feature called Hidden Words, which allows you to automatically filter offensive words, phrases and emojis into a Hidden folder, that you never have to open if you don’t want to.

“Of these about 50% of the times the comment was edited or deleted by the user based on these warnings,” Instagram said.

Earlier, the company had launched a new tool to prohibit adults from sending Direct-Messages (DMs) to kids who do not follow them.

Instagram aimed to introduce ‘safety prompts’ for kids who don’t follow adults sending messages to them.

An option focusing on the “safety” of users will appear to teens when they DM adults who have been “exhibiting potentially suspicious behaviour.”

Several notices will appear whenever a suspicious user is spotted texting the teenagers.

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