Instagram comes with new measures against online bullying

Instagram will ask users if they really want to post a message if the network thinks something mean is being said. In this way, the social network wants to combat digital bullying. There will also be a tool to mute bullies.

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri admits in a blog post that the company can do more to stop bullying. The company is therefore coming up with new tools to combat bullying reactions, and tools for victims to better protect themselves.

The network will use artificial intelligence to analyze reactions in advance. If the AI ​​suspects something mean is being said, they will ask if “Are you sure you want to post this.” There will also be a link to a page where you can read more. That page states that the comment is similar to other comments previously reported by others. It is still possible to post the comment. Instagram says that tests show that some users still delete their comments and write something less mean.

At the same time, a company is releasing a new tool called Restrict. This allows a victim to designate someone as ‘restricted’, so that reactions from such a person can only be seen by that person. According to Instagram, this is a good solution, because victims often do not dare to block or report bullies for fear of escalation. Someone who is ‘restricted’ does not get to know that.

The new tools will initially be released for English speaking users first. Later, that should also come out for international users, Instagram tells the BBC.