If you use Instagram, it’s likely you’ve seen nasty comments, whether it’s your own photos or others'.
While these comments are undeniably unpleasant to receive, it can be tricky for Instagram to stop users from posting them.
To help deter such comments, Instagram has launched a new anti-bullying feature on the platform this week.
The new feature is powered by AI, and will notify people if their comment may be considered offensive before it’s posted.
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, said: “This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification.
“From early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect.”
Instagram will soon also launch a new feature called Restrict, which helps users to protect their accounts from unwanted interactions, including comments and DMs.
Once you Restrict someone, comments on your posts from that person will only be visible to that person.
You can then choose to make a restricted person’s comments visible to others by approving their comments.
Thankfully, restricted people won’t be able to see when you’re active on Instagram or when you’ve read their direct messages - which could save you some embarrassment, should you see them face-to-face.
Mr Mosseri added: “It’s our responsibility to create a safe environment on Instagram.
“This has been an important priority for us for some time, and we are continuing to invest in better understanding and tackling this problem.”
The Comment Warning feature is available worldwide from today, while the Restrict feature will be rolled out over the coming weeks.
