Instagram is enhancing its "Limits" tool to help teenagers combat harassment by allowing them to restrict interactions to their "Close Friends" group. This means teens can choose to see comments, messages, story replies, tags, and mentions only from their close friends, muting interactions from other accounts. Initially tested in 2021, the Limits feature was introduced after English footballers faced online harassment.
Enhanced Features for Teens
- Close Friends Setting: By default, teens will have the "Close Friends" setting enabled to protect against bullying and harassment. Interactions from accounts outside this group won't appear in their feed.
- Recent Followers: Teens can also limit interactions to recent followers, i.e., accounts that followed them in the past week or accounts they don't follow back.
Additional Protections
- Restrict Feature: Instagram is updating its "Restrict" feature to hide comments from specific accounts and prevent them from tagging or mentioning the user without blocking them.
- Messaging Restrictions: Meta has implemented restrictions preventing adults over 18 from messaging teens who don't follow them.
- Blurred Nudity in DMs: A feature introduced in April blurs nudity in direct messages for teens.
Context and Background
These updates come as Meta faces scrutiny over teen safety. Over 40 U.S. states sued Meta last October, alleging its product design negatively impacts kids' mental health. The European Union also launched an investigation into Facebook and Instagram's addictive design and its effects on minors' mental health.
