Instagram added a function on Thursday that filters nude images in direct messaging to young people under 18. The social media platform also notifies adults to enable this option.
With the Instagram update, users should be safe against unsolicited nudity and possible sextortion schemes, in which con artists apply subtle pressure to get victims to give intimate photos. Instagram is noted to have changed in response to demands from Meta, its parent company, and other social media companies to strengthen its policies protecting teenagers online, per The Hill.
"These updates build on our longstanding work to help protect young people from unwanted or potentially harmful contact. We default teens into stricter message settings so they can't be messaged by anyone they're not already connected to, show Safety Notices to teens who are already in contact with potential scam accounts, and offer a dedicated option for people to report DMs that are threatening to share private images," Instagram stated in its blog.
How does it work?
The new Instagram automatic blurring feature will affect photographs that appear to be naked and provide a warning box to users before they choose to view them. Users will also receive a notice telling them not to respond and an offer to ban and report the conversation.
The Instagram automatic nudity blurring feature reminds users to handle delicate photographs cautiously and lets them withdraw them if they change their minds. If someone tries to send a nude photo they got, a similar alert will pop up, asking them to think again before sharing it.
The Instagram update aligns with the increased demands on social media firms to protect children on their networks.
A US Senate hearing in January questioned the CEOs of many companies, including Snap, Discord, X, and TikTok, and Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, about the dangers their services pose to young people.
Despite passing three bipartisan pieces of legislation to strengthen online child safety, the Senate Commerce Committee has not scheduled them for a floor vote.
(Photo: ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images) A woman checks her Instagram account as she stands on a street in New York City on October 4, 2021.
Sextortion Cases On The Rise
Notably, the FBI is alerting people to a marked rise in child-targeted sextortion cases. This crime frequently uses threats to publish incriminating photos of the victim to coerce them into complying with monetary demands.
Although incidents involving males between the ages of 14 and 17 are on the rise, US authorities stress that any minor might become a victim, according to AP News. Data indicates a worrisome trend: between October 2022 and March 2023, there were 20% more documented occurrences of financially driven sextortion involving juveniles than during the same time last year.
"In these cases, the offender receives sexually explicit material from the child and then threatens to release the compromising material unless the victim sends money and/or gift cards. The amount requested varies, and the offender often releases the victim's sexually explicit material regardless of whether or not they receive payment," per the FBI, adding that the growing threat has resulted in an alarming number of suicides, according to its website.
