Instagram has introduced a number of new tools in an effort to protect users from abuse on the platform.
Limits - one of the new features - gives users the power to automatically hide comments and direct message requests from other users who do not already follow, or have only recently followed them.
Instagram said it had been created to stop a torrent of abuse from accounts who “pile on in the moment”, Teesside Live reports.
The Facebook-owned service has also improved in-app alerts it shows to those who try posting abuse – warning users they could potentially have their account removed if they continue to send abusive comments. It is also introducing its Hidden Words filter tool, meaning people can filter out words, phrases and emojis they don’t want to see.
The purpose of the tools is to give people more control while ensuring they feel safe when using the site.
The Limits feature will be rolled out to all Instagram users globally starting on Wednesday and will enable people to decide for how long they would like to hide comments and message requests from non-followers and those who only started following them in the last week.
Instagram’s public policy manager for Europe, Tom Gault, told the PA news agency that the Limits tool was being introduced to combat incidents like the Euro 2020 final, when some England footballers received an avalanche of abusive comments public figures after England lost in a penalty shoot-out to Italy.
He said: “Our own research, as well as feedback from public figures, shows that a lot of the negativity directed at high-profile people comes from those who don’t follow them or who recently followed them.
"And this is the kind of behaviour that we saw after the Euros final.”
But he added that the company had also found some public figures did not want to cut off comments and messages entirely because they often received many messages of support.
The tool could also be expanded in the future to automatically prompt users to turn on Limits when the platform detects a user may be experiencing a spike in comments and direct messages.
Writing in a blog post announcing the new features, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said: “We don’t allow hate speech or bullying on Instagram, and we remove it whenever we find it.
"We hope these new features will better protect people from seeing abusive content, whether it’s racist, sexist, homophobic or any other type of abuse."
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