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Instagram's new anti-bullying features

ItaliaItalia Posts: 220 Trailblazer
edited July 2019 in General Chat
Hey Everyone  :)

I am wondering how many of you have you heard about Instagram's new anti-bullying features? Yesterday they announced two new features which are designed to help combat bullying on their platform. 

Here is the announcement from the head of 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. Today we’re announcing one new feature in both areas.


Encouraging Positive Interactions
In the last few days, we started rolling out a new feature powered by AI that notifies people when their comment may be considered offensive before it’s posted. This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification.


Protecting Your Account From Unwanted Interactions With Restrict
We wanted to create a feature that allows people to control their Instagram experience, without notifying someone who may be targeting them. Soon, we will begin testing a new way to protect your account from unwanted interactions called Restrict.


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.”

You can find out how it all works on Instagram's page. 

I just wanted to share this so you know its there and how it works if you need it. I would also would be interested to hear your thoughts on it more generally?

It's nice to see Instagram taking steps to deal bullying seriously. 

Happy Tuesday :) 

“People who wade into discomfort and vulnerability and tell the truth about their stories are the real badasses.”
- Brene Brown

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    SienaSiena Posts: 15,499 Skive's The Limit
    I was hearing this on the radio this morning. And think it is good. May not be able to stop bad comments completly but when get a message saying "are you sure you want to send this" (or something like that) it may make them think
    “And when they look at you, they won't see everything you've been through. They won't see the **** that turned to scars that began to fade with time. They won't see the heartbreaking things that shook up and changed your entire world. They won't know how many tears you cried or even what it was you were crying about. They won't see how strong you had to be because you had no other choice. What they will see though is how compassionate you are because you experienced pain. What they will see is how kind you are because you experienced how cruel the world is. What they will see is how good you are because you've seen how bad things or people can be. The difference between you and your experiences are who you choose to be, despite everything that could have turned you cold and unkind.You are the good the world needs and the best of us.” ~ Kirsten Corley
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    *BananaMonkey**BananaMonkey* Posts: 5,462 Part of The Furniture
    I agree with @Shaunie

    Sometimes if people are asked "are you sure" or "do you want to send this" they may be given that time to change their mind. 

    It's positive to see Instagram doing something positive around this. <3
    " And everywhere I am, there you'll be, your love made me make it through, oh I owe so much to you "
    " So I say thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing, thanks for all the joy they're bringing, who can live without it, I ask in all honestly what would life be? Without a song or a dance, what are we? So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me "
    '' It's a beautiful day and I can't stop myself from smiling "
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    coc0maccoc0mac Posts: 1,054 Wise Owl
    I think it's a great step in the right direction. Instagram is a huge platform so hopefully other platforms can adopt this approach too. 

    I also hope the questions they ask will stick in people's minds - so when somebody goes to say something unkind even when offline, hopefully they will hear that and think twice. A positive change!
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    PoppyBPoppyB Posts: 228 Trailblazer
    Kasa2103 said:
    That should have been made long ago! I was suffering so much with bullying on Instagram and that was never there to discourage the bullies from sending unkind stuff. I was bullied off Instagram as well. But at least now it finally exists so other people do not have to face what I have been through. The restrict idea sounds awesome but the encouraging positive interactions is even better. Thank you for letting everyone know about this Italia! :)
    Hey @Kasa2103 ! Thanks for the insightful reply - I'm sorry to hear that you were struggling with bullies on Instagram but it's really inspiring that you can use your experience to see the benefits of the new features. If you ever need help with bullying feel free to look at Bullying UK who have lots of resources or use The Mix helpline at 0808 808 4994 if you ever need any further support.

    Just to let you know I've sank this thread as it is a few months old now, but feel free to start a new thread on this topic if you'd like :) 
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