Instagram Limits tool – increased protection against harassment for teenagers

Meta offers teenagers a strengthened version of its Instagram Limits tool. When set to its highest level, only close friends will be able to comment, reply, tag, mention, or message them.

This is the company's latest development in protection for teenagers, following anti-grooming blocks and nudity blurring introduced earlier in the year…

Instagram Limits

Instagram's Limits tool was first tested in 2021, after three British footballers were harassed on the platform following the team's defeat in the Euro 2020 football final.

It was then rolled out to everyone, with options to limit interactions to people you follow, as well as your own longer-term followers.

New Close Friend Options for Teens

TechCrunch reports that teens are now being offered additional options to further limit interactions.

The feature has now been tailored to teens with the default “Close Friends” setting, and Instagram says it's specifically intended to protect people from bullying and harassment. Accounts that aren't in a person's Close Friends group can still interact with them, but their activity won't appear in the feed.

Alternatively, teens can limit interactions with recent followers – accounts that started following them within the last week or accounts they don't follow.

Additionally, the company is adding a new feature to its “Restrict” feature that lets you limit interactions from specific accounts without blocking them. Instagram will hide all comments from restricted accounts and they will not be able to tag or mention you.

Latest measure to address mental health concerns

The company faces growing concern about Instagram's impact on the mental health of teenage users, with particular concern over online harassment.

Meta has introduced a number of protection features specifically aimed at teens, two of which were introduced earlier this year.

In January, Meta began blocking direct messages to teens from adults they don't follow. Parents and guardians also benefit from more powerful parental controls.

Last month, Meta began blurring nude photos in Instagram DMs – a move aimed at tackling the growing problem of “sextortion” on the platform.