Instagram is looking to introduce new features to help create a safer environment for teen users of the platform. As concerns over mental health and safety of its younger user base increase, Facebook and Instagram are hoping to encourage users to “take a break”.
As reported by The Verge, Facebook’s VP of global affairs Nick Clegg went on CNN’s State of the Union to discuss new features Instagram will be introducing to steer teens away from potentially harmful content and encourage them to “take a break”. Clegg stated that Instagram will identify potentially harmful content that teenagers stumble upon over and over again and nudge them away.
“We’re going to introduce something which I think will make a considerable difference, which is where our systems see that a teenager is looking at the same content over and over again, and it’s content which may not be conducive to their well being, we will nudge them to look at other content,” Clegg stated to CNN.
Clegg also stated that Instagram would be pausing its plans to introduce Instagram Kids for the time being. Initially, Instagram Kids was positioned as a way for parents to monitor and supervise their child’s time on Instagram while providing a safe environment for kids to explore.
News of Instagram’s new features comes only days after Frances Haugen, a whistleblower, testified before Congress regarding internal research that showed the company’s negative effect it can have on the mental health of younger users.
Currently, there is no timeline on when either feature will be readily available for younger users. According to the report, a Facebook representative told The Verge that the company has yet to begin testing the features “but will soon”.
