Instagram is taking serious steps to curb online bullying on the platform. The Facebook-owned social media platform, on Monday, announced features that will restrict bullies. With this feature in action, people will receive a warning when they are preparing to post abusive remarks. Adam Mosseri, Head of the Instagram, said in a statement, “It's our responsibility to create a safe environment on Instagram." He added, "This has been an important priority for us for some time, and we are continuing to invest in better understanding and tackling this problem."
The anti-bullying feature being rolled out takes the help of Artificial Intelligence to notify users before they post anything offensive. "This intervention gives people a chance to reflect and undo their comment and prevents the recipient from receiving the harmful comment notification," Mosseri said.
"From early tests of this feature, we have found that it encourages some people to undo their comment and share something less hurtful once they have had a chance to reflect."
Another new tool focused on limiting the spread of abusive comments on a user's feed helps users restrict abusive comments. "We've heard from young people in our community that they're reluctant to block, unfollow, or report their bully because it could escalate the situation, especially if they interact with their bully in real life," Mosseri commented.
Called “Restrict”, the feature is still in its testing phase and blocks posts from an offending person. "You can choose to make a restricted person's comments visible to others by approving their comments," Mosseri added.
"Restricted people won't be able to see when you're active on Instagram or when you've read their direct messages."
Cyberbullying on social networking platforms is an issue that needs to be given serious thought. By adding these new features to its platform, Instagram has taken a step forward in the right direction.