Instagram is rolling out significant changes to its algorithm and safety features. The main goal is to directly address long-standing concerns about protecting younger users and accounts that prominently feature children. This move comes after Instagram faced serious accusations, including a 2023 lawsuit, claiming its algorithms could inadvertently connect potentially harmful individuals—AKA predators—with child-related content.
Instagram’s updated algorithm: new barrier against potential online predators
At the heart of the update is a new rule: Instagram accounts primarily featuring images of children but managed by adults will no longer be recommended to “potentially suspicious adults.” What do you define as a “suspicious adult”? Think of users who have been blocked by teenagers on the social media platform. Those who have previously engaged in concerning behavior also qualify. This aims to create a new barrier, preventing potential predators from easily discovering accounts featuring kids on Instagram. This applies even if these accounts are run by parents or talent managers with innocent intentions.
The changes don’t stop there. Instagram will also begin to hide comments from these suspicious adults on posts featuring children. The platform will also make it more difficult for such adults to find these accounts through the search function. This builds on previous safety updates, like stopping these child-featuring accounts from offering subscriptions or receiving gifts, to reduce any potential for exploitation.
These new protections are part of a broader push by Meta (Instagram’s parent company) to enhance child safety across its platforms. In the coming months, more safety features already available on teen accounts will extend to adult-managed accounts featuring children. This includes defaulting them to Instagram’s strictest message settings and automatically filtering out offensive or inappropriate comments.
Lastly, for teen users themselves, Instagram is also adding new safety tools. They’ll now have a combined report and block option in direct messages, making it easier to take action against unwanted interactions. Additionally, teens will gain more context about who they’re messaging, seeing the month and year an account joined Instagram. This small but important detail could help them identify potential scammers or impostors.
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