Instagram has detailed several new security features that are designed to keep teenage users safe while using the app, even in their DMs.
Instagram has introduced several measures to better protect its younger users, including how adult direct messages are received. Direct messages, also known as DMs, allow users of the social media platform to chat with each other privately. While they can be an excellent communication tool, direct messages can also be an avenue for potentially suspicious or dangerous behavior from strangers online.
Many social media applications allow users to directly message each other, including Facebook and Twitter. Last year, Twitter also worked to improve direct messages by offering users who have received a direct message to view the other profile with a quick click. Direct messaging is just one of the features that Instagram offers its users, and some other notable ones are Reels and the Purchases tab. Other changes may also be on the way, such as the possible removal of similar counts to foster a more creative and carefree environment. Also, Instagram is apparently testing its own audio room service, similar to Clubhouse.
in a blog post, Instagram revealed that it is working to keep teens safe by restricting direct messages between teens and adults who are not yet following. If an adult tries to text a teenager who does not follow, the adult receives a notification that this is not possible. Instagram will also start sending safety notices to teens who interact with potentially dangerous adults in direct messages. For example, if an adult sends an unusual number of messages to users under the age of eighteen, Instagram will alert the recipient. Additionally, Instagram will work to make it difficult for adults to follow teens in the first place, preventing them from seeing teen accounts on Suggested Users.
Other major Instagram enhancements
Instagram has also collaborated with the Child Mind Institute and ConnectSafely to publish a new guide for parents. The guide includes helpful conversation starters for parents to talk to their children about staying safe online, and it also offers the latest in privacy settings. Additionally, Instagram is working on a new artificial intelligence feature aimed at ensuring that younger users are honest about how old they are – the minimum age to sign up for an Instagram account is thirteen years old. Instagram will also start encouraging teens to make their accounts private through an additional step during the sign-up process. Basically, when a younger user creates an Instagram account, they will be given the option to choose between public and private.
While Instagram offers people many fun ways to interact with each other, like Instagram Live, it is also important for users to stay safe, especially when they are so young. From online bullying to inappropriate interactions with adults, it is very easy for teenage Instagram users to encounter serious problems when using social media services. Still, with these security measures in place, hopefully the Instagram app will become a safer place for its younger users to express themselves.
Source: Instagram
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