Instagram launches the next phase in their fight against cyberbullying

Thanks to Facebook‘s newly updated Community Standards Enforcement Report, Instagram may be getting a bit safer for users. The social media platform is making another big push to combat cyberbullying and harassment against its users.

This week, Instagram is launching new features that will allow users to delete multiple comments at once, pin their favorite comments, control which accounts can tag other accounts and much more. This is part of their company initiative to end online bullying on its platform.

Read more: See what Mark Hoppus had to say about Tom DeLonge rejoining blink-182

Cyberbullying and online harassment have been big social problems over the past few years. It impacts a great majority of those on the internet including artists. More recently, Paramore‘s Hayley Williams took a break from social media after receiving a series of ill-intended comments. Last year, Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach also announced a hiatus from social media to focus on his mental health.

In July of 2019, Instagram announced its commitment to lead the fight against online bullying. Following this, Instagram warned users about posting “potentially offensive” comments that could be picked up by AI technology and interpreted in a hurtful way. This was part of their push to end harassment on its platform. If users post content the technology interprets as malicious or offensive, a notification is generated that the content “looks similar to others that have been reported.” Users are then encouraged to edit their captions accordingly.

Now, Instagram is making an even bigger push to end both spamming and cyberbullying on its platform. With its new features being launched this week, users have a lot more control over what is shared about them and what comments are made on their posts.

Read more: An original Ghostface killer wants to make a comeback in ‘Scream 5’

First and foremost, one of Instagram’s new features is the ability to delete comments in mass quantities. Prior to this feature, users were only able to individually delete comments one by one. Now, users can select up to 25 comments to delete at once. Along with this, they can choose numerous accounts they wish to either restrict or block. Instagram hopes that this feature will combat the lack of control users have when their comment sections are swarmed.

“We know it can feel overwhelming to manage a rush of negative comments,” the statement from Instagram says. “so we’ve been testing the ability to delete comments in bulk, as well as block or restrict multiple accounts that post negative comments. Early feedback has been encouraging. We’ve found that it helps people, especially with larger followings, maintain a positive environment on their account.”

As well, Instagram users can now show off their favorite comments. The platform will allow individuals to pin comments to the top of their posts so more viewers can read them.

Read more: Hear the 1975’s sentimental letter to friendship with their new single “Guys”

“We want to give people an easy way to amplify and encourage positive interactions,” the statement says. “This feature gives people a way to set the tone for their account and engage with their community by pinning a select number of comments to the top of their comments thread.”

Finally, Instagram will now allow you to control which accounts can mention or tag you in their posts and stories. The social media platform will provide three categories to choose from: everyone, only people you follow or no one at all.

“We’ve seen that tags and mentions can be used to target or bully others,” the statement says. “So we’re rolling out new controls that allow you to manage who can tag or mention you on Instagram. You can choose whether you want everyone, only people you follow or no one to be able to tag or mention you in a comment, caption or story.”

All of the information regarding the new Instagram features is available to read here.

Do you think Instagram is doing enough to combat cyberbullying and harassment on their platform? Let us know in the comments below!

See more: 10 most iconic music video looks

[envira-gallery id=”186695″]