Instagram’s Commitment to Lead the Fight Against Online Bullying
Instagram has announced two new @instagram features to help stop bullying online.
Instagram’s mission is to connect you with the people and things you love, which only works if people feel comfortable expressing themselves on Instagram. They know bullying is a challenge many face, particularly young people. They are committed to leading the industry in the fight against online bullying, and they are rethinking the whole experience of Instagram to meet that commitment, doing more to prevent bullying from happening on Instagram, and more to empower the targets of bullying to stand up for themselves.
On 8 July 2019 they announced two new features in both areas – Restrict and Comment Warning. These tools are grounded in a deep understanding of how people bully each other and how they respond to bullying on Instagram, but they’re only two steps on a longer path.
Young people tell Instagram they’re hesitant to block, unfollow, or report bullies because it could make their situation worse. With “Restrict” you can protect your account from bullying without notifying the person targeting you. Once you restrict someone, only you and they can see their comments on your posts unless you approve their comments. And “Comment Warning” lets people know when their comment might be considered offensive before they post it. Tests show that this encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful instead.
The video below by Time helps explain the new features.
It is Instagram’s responsibility to create a safe environment on Instagram and this has been an important priority for them for some time. They are continuing to invest in better understanding and tackling this problem, and they note it is especially crucial for teens since they are less likely to report online bullying even when they are the ones who experience it the most.
You can read Instagram’s full press release here.
For more information about this article and for all enquiries please visit the Instagram press page.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
Image Source: Instagram Art by @heysp
SUBSCRIBE
Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?
Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!
