Instagram is rolling out a feature to prevent users from viewing potentially abusive offensive messages by filtering out offensive words, phrases and emojis on the photo sharing app.
Instagram said on Wednesday that in addition to the option to filter out abusive direct messages, it will also be more difficult for people blocked by users to bypass them and contact them through new accounts.
“Since direct messages are private conversations, we do not proactively check them for signs of hate speech or harassment as we do elsewhere on Instagram.”, explains the popular image sharing application in a press release.
Instagram has redoubled its efforts to tackle hate speech and online abuse on its platform, which is more popular than Facebook’s main app with teens and young adults.
The filter, which can be enabled on Instagram in privacy settings, can be customized by users to include words, phrases, and emojis they want to block or avoid receiving in their message requests.
“The feature, which only applies to direct message requests and not the inbox itself, will roll out to select countries in the coming weeks.”, Instagram said.
Last month, the platform rolled out new features to help protect its youngest users, including technology that uses artificial intelligence to monitor their actual age. Instagram has also announced that it will ban adults from sending messages to minors who do not follow them in order to avoid unsolicited exchanges.