Instagram is working on a new Quiet Mode that silences push notifications on a temporary basis.
The app is also working on the “not interested button” so that you can avoid seeing certain types of content .
The app is trying to ensure teen health.
Instagram is introducing Quiet Mode, a feature that allows users to temporarily silence push notifications and sends automatic replies to messages received during this time. Teen users will be prompted to turn on Quiet Mode when they spend a certain amount of time on the app during the late night hours, though the specific time frame and duration have not been specified.
How will Instagram’s Quiet mode work?
Instagram will also display the status on the user's profile indicating that Quiet Mode is active, and provide a summary of missed notifications upon return to the app. Users can also schedule specific times for the feature to automatically turn on.
This feature is being added as Instagram faces criticism for its effects on the mental health of teens, particularly teenage girls. This move is part of the company's ongoing efforts to improve the safety of its younger users, which includes tightening default content settings for teens and restricting how advertisers can target them.
What is Instagram’s “not interested button” feature?
Instagram is also expanding on its "not interested button" feature, which allows users to flag certain types of content they do not want to see. Users will now be able to hide more than one piece of content on the Explore page, which the platform will aim to avoid showing in Reels and search.
Additionally, users can now add a list of words, hashtags, or emojis to avoid in recommended content captions, similar to the way they can hide DMs with unwanted words.
Instagram is taking inspiration from TikTok with its increased focus on Reels and recommended content, however, it is ahead of TikTok in some safety aspects such as the Quiet Mode feature and setting time limits on the app. TikTok is testing a prompt that allows users to set up sleep reminders and mute notifications during sleep, which may be a feature Instagram will introduce in the future.
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Kajoli Anand Puri
Kajoli is a tech-enthusiast with a soft-spot for smart kitchen and home appliances. She loves exploring gadgets and gizmos that are designed to make life simpler, but also secretly fears a world run by AI. Oh wait, we’re already there. View Full Profile
