Instagram will implement direct messaging restrictions between teenage users and adults they do not follow in an effort to bolster youth safety on its platform, the company announced Tuesday.
The social media platform said the feature will block adults from attempting to message teenage users they do not follow, send safety notices to teenagers alerting them to be wary about direct messaging interactions, and notify teenagers when adults who message them have been “exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior” by sending multiple friend requests or messages to users under 18, according to a readout.
“There are cases where it is appropriate for adults and teens to interact on Instagram but it’s important that teens be protected against unwanted contact from adults,” Larry Magid, CEO of ConnectSafely.org, said in the readout.
TINDER TO ENABLE USERS TO EMPLOY BACKGROUND CHECKS ON MATCHES
Magid added that requiring younger users to establish connections with adults as a prerequisite for communication empowers teenagers to protect themselves.
“It puts them in the driver’s seat and gives them more control over their experiences on Instagram,” he added.
The update, which is slated to arrive in the “coming weeks,” also will make it more difficult for adults to discover and follow teenagers. Instagram said it will focus efforts on limiting the amount of teenage content pushed toward adult users.
Instagram’s new youth safety feature follows several recent privacy-related changes made by other technology companies. Match Group, which owns popular dating apps and websites such as Tinder, Match.com, and Hinge, announced on Monday it would partner with nonprofit background check platform Garbo to allow users to employ background checks on matches.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Last month, Facebook began testing a feature urging some users to respond “Allow” or “Don’t Allow” to prompts that appear when they open the social media app on iOS devices. Facebook’s move was a response to an earlier Apple privacy update that allowed iOS 14 users to opt in to tracking from third-party app developers, including Facebook.
Representatives for Instagram did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
