Instagram on Tuesday announced new features and tools aimed at making the platform safer for teen users.
Instagram launches enhanced security features for users under 18
The social media network said it is taking a tougher approach to teens, particularly in terms of what it recommends for younger users, what topics teens are focused on and how long teens spend on the platform. In the announcement, Instagram CEO Adam Grossi said the company is "conducting research, consulting with experts and testing new concepts to better serve teens."
Some of the new tools aimed at teens include the ability to bulk delete content (including photos, likes and comments) and the ability to mute people who tag or mention teens who don’t follow them. Additionally, Instagram said it’s testing a new experience that will nudge people toward other topics if they’ve been dwelling on one topic for a while.
Instagram also announced wider availability of its Take a Break feature, which reminds users to take a break from scrolling every now and then. The feature was initially announced as a test last month, but officially rolled out to the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia on Tuesday. The platform said that based on initial tests of the Take a Break feature, more than 90% of teen users followed the break reminders.
