Instagram Answers Criticism with Tools Aimed at Protecting Young Users

 

Instagram has announced tools it says are designed to keep young users safe and help them limit time spent on the picture-sharing service.

The announcement came the day before the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, appeared before American lawmakers to discuss measures to protect children online.

Instagram is owned by Facebook, which recently changed its corporate¹ name to Meta Platforms.

Meta has been under increasing pressure from governments in several parts of the world to improve its safety and privacy² policies to protect young users. In October, a former Facebook employee accused the company of ignoring research that suggested Instagram could cause body-image issues and harm the mental health of users, especially girls and young women.

Mosseri described the new tools in an online post this week. He said one change is that Instagram would aim to be "stricter" about the kinds of content it suggests to young people.

In general, social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram are designed to offer and suggest content that users have shown interest in. This is a way to keep users coming back and staying online for longer periods.

But Mosseri said Instagram plans to launch a new feature that will suggest that users move on to something else if they have been staying on one subject for a long time. This feature is still being developed and tested.

Staying centered on one subject for a long period can cause users to make unhealthy social comparisons, said Phillippa Diedrichs. She is a professor of psychology³ at Britain's University of West England in Bristol. She has been working with Instagram to find ways to improve the Instagram experience for young users.

Diedrichs said suggesting to users to move on to another subject has "been studied as a way to improve users' experiences online without compromising their freedom and personal choice.

Another tool is called "Take A Break." This feature sends a message to people who have been using Instagram for an extended period to consider taking a break from the service. In addition to the messages, young users will be urged to set their own reminders⁴ to take more breaks going forward.

"Take a Break" is already live for Instagram users in the United States, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Instagram plans to launch the tool in the rest of the world early next year.

Mosseri said Instagram was also turning off the ability for people to "tag," or mention young people who do not follow them on the service. And starting in January, young Instagram users will be able to easily remove all photo and video content at once, as well as any past likes and comments.

Instagram says next March it will launch its first tools designed to give parents advice on how to discuss social media use with their children. The tools will let parents see how much time their children spend on the service and permit them to set usage⁵ limits.

Republican⁶ Senator⁷ Marsha Blackburn criticized the company's new offerings as "hollow." She said she sees the moves as an attempt by the company to turn attention away from past mistakes "by rolling out parental⁸ guides, use timers, and content control features that consumers should have had all along."

An Instagram spokeswoman said the service plans to continue its delay on the development of a planned child version of the service. The company suspended its plans for that project in September after facing intense criticism from major child rights groups as well as U.S. lawmakers.

Words in This Story

strict – adj. demanding complete observance or obedience⁹

feature – n. a typical quality or important part of something

psychology – n. the study of the human mind and feelings

compromise – v. to agree to something that is not exactly what you want

remind – v. to make someone remember something or remember to do something

mention – v. to briefly¹⁰ speak or write about something or someone

hollow – adj. having a hole or empty space inside

consumer – n. someone who buys or uses goods or services

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

3 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

4 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

5 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

6 republican   

n.拥护共和政体的人； adj.共和政体的，（Republican）共和党人，（Republican）共和党的

参考例句：

• Some families have been republican for generations.有些家庭世代都支持共和党。
• A third candidate has entered the contest for the Republican nomination.第三个候选人已经加入角逐共和党提名的行列。

7 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

8 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

9 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。

10 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。