Instagram limits the appearance of “sensitive content” to younger users

The social networking platform Instagram has updated its restrictions on the appearance of “sensitive content” in front of younger users to reduce the chances of them being exposed to any age-inappropriate content.

The platform, owned by Meta Platforms, which owns the Facebook network and the WhatsApp application, said that when users under 16 years old enter the Instagram site, the amount of sensitive content that is hidden from them will increase automatically.

The new changes also include inviting existing users under 16 to update their accounts to comply with the new settings, which Instagram called “limit sensitive content.”

Instagram says that the new feature will make it more difficult for young people to access inappropriate content or accounts in various sections of the platform, including search results and suggested content.

The Sensitive Content Limit tool has only two options, “Standard” and “Less”. The settings for new user accounts on the platform will be set to “lower” by default. As for younger users who are already on the platform, they will be invited to modify the setting and choose the ‘Less’ option. This option makes it more difficult for teenage users to access sensitive content or accounts in various sections of the platform, such as search, browsing, tags, rails, and suggested accounts.

The new updates come at a time when the Instagram platform is still facing more revisions regarding its procedures to protect users, especially children and young people, from potentially harmful content.

Governments and regulatory authorities in the world, including in Britain, are also seeking to set new rules that require technology and Internet companies to provide greater protection to users, including imposing heavy fines on sites or blocking them if they do not provide this protection.