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Instagram Is Determined To Prevent Online Bullying

Instagram announced it is rolling out a new anti-bullying feature called Restrict. Restrict uses artificial intelligence to block offensive comments before they’re posted, and asks a user, “Are you sure you want to post this?” Adam Mosseri, the CEO of Instagram, said he hopes this will make users reflect on the comments they’re writing before they hit “send.”

“We can do more to prevent bullying from happening on Instagram, and we can do more to empower the targets of bullying to stand up for themselves,” Mosseri said in a press release announcing the new feature. “Today we’re announcing one new feature in both areas. These tools are grounded in a deep understanding of how people bully each other and how they respond to bullying on Instagram, but they’re only two steps on a longer path.”

Instagram is also working on a tool that allows users to prevent certain people from commenting, Mosseri said. This is an alternative to blocking and unfollowing people.

“We’ve heard from young people in our community that they’re reluctant to block, unfollow, or report their bully because it could escalate the situation, especially if they interact with their bully in real life,” Mosseri wrote. By blocking comments entirely, Mosseri said, users can stop conflicts before they start.