Instagram, the hugely popular social media platform, recently announced new measures to protect teens from sextortion. In addition, Instagram is also developing a new feature called “Social Library” to make it easier for users to find posts they have shared, liked, or received in chats. This article will discuss both initiatives and how they can help improve the safety and comfort of Instagram users, especially teens.
New Protections from Sexual Blackmail
Sexual blackmail is a crime in which the perpetrator blackmails the victim by threatening to release intimate images or videos if their demands are not met. This crime often targets vulnerable teenagers and can cause serious psychological impacts.
New Features To Protect Teens
To address this issue, Instagram has launched several new features designed to protect teens from sexual blackmail.
- Hiding Follower and Following Lists : Instagram is now hiding the follower and following lists of suspicious accounts. This move aims to prevent sexual extortionists from using this information to target victims.
- Screenshot Prevention : Instagram has also introduced a feature that prevents users from taking screenshots of images or videos sent via direct messages with the “view once” or “allow replay” options. This feature ensures that content that is meant to be viewed once can actually only be viewed once.
- Nudity Protection : The nudity protection feature that automatically blurs nudity in direct messages is now rolling out globally. This feature helps prevent the unauthorized sharing of intimate images.
- Educational Campaign : Instagram worked with child safety experts, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Thorn, to develop an educational campaign that helps teens and parents recognize the signs of sexual blackmail. The campaign includes educational videos explaining how to recognize the signs of sexual blackmail and steps you can take to protect yourself.
Social Library Features
In addition to measures to protect against sexual blackmail, Instagram is also developing a new feature called “Social Library.” This feature is designed to make it easier for users to find and organize content they have shared, liked, or received in chats.
- Content Grouping : Social Library will group content based on categories like “Shared,” “Liked,” and “Received in Chat.” This will make it easier for users to find specific content without having to scroll through a long history.
- Improved Search : This feature will also include an improved search tool, allowing users to search for content by keyword, date, or content type. This will be especially useful for users who frequently share a lot of content and want to find something quickly.
- Privacy Settings : Instagram ensures that the Social Library feature will come with strong privacy settings. Users will be able to control who can see their content and how it can be accessed.
Positive Impact for Users
These new steps demonstrate Instagram’s commitment to creating a safer and more comfortable environment for its users, especially teens. By protecting teens from sexual harassment and providing better tools to manage content, Instagram is helping users feel safer and more in control of their use of the platform.
- Enhanced Security : These new features significantly increase the safety of users, especially teens, from the threat of sexual blackmail. By preventing screenshots and hiding follower lists, Instagram reduces the risk of criminals using this information to blackmail victims.
- Convenience in Managing Content : The Social Library feature will make it easier for users to manage and find their content. This will save time and effort, as well as improve the overall user experience.
- Education and Awareness : The educational campaign launched by Instagram will help raise awareness about sexual blackmail and how to avoid it. This will provide the necessary knowledge for teens and parents to protect themselves from online threats.
With these steps, Instagram is not only trying to protect its users from online threats but also to improve the overall user experience. These new features are expected to provide a sense of security and comfort for all users, especially teenagers who are vulnerable to sexual blackmail.
Conclusion
Instagram has launched new measures to protect teens from the threat of sextortion, introducing a “Social Library” feature to make it easier for users to manage their content. The new safety features include hiding the follower list of suspicious accounts, preventing screenshots, nudity protection, and an educational campaign to raise awareness of sextortion. Meanwhile, the “Social Library” will help users with better search tools and content categorization, as well as tightened privacy settings. These steps demonstrate Instagram’s commitment to creating a safer and more comfortable environment for its users, especially teens.
