Instagram today announced a new feature to protect its community from unwanted content in direct messages (DMs). This is a measure that aims to safeguard above all women, often victims of harassing messages, and adolescents, who need greater protection in their online interactions.
The new feature provides two restrictions for anyone sending DM requests to people who don’t follow it:
- Invitation mode: you will only be able to send a text message, which will act as an invitation to start a conversation. Only if the person accepts the request, will it be possible to continue exchanging messages, even with images, videos or voice notes. Otherwise, no further messages can be sent for the next 24 hours.
- Text only: the invitation message will be limited to text-only content, with no ability to attach images, videos or voice notes.
This means that no one will receive unwanted content from strangers anymore, nor will they be bothered by repeated messages. The new function had already been tested in a first test phase last June.
The other Instagram tools to avoid unwanted DMs
The new feature adds to existing tools for controlling interactions on the platform. Between these:
- hidden words: allows you to create a personalized list of words, phrases and emojis that you don’t want to see, hiding the comments and message requests that contain them.
- Limitations: Allows you to protect yourself from unwanted comments or DM requests. By activating it, you can automatically hide comments and DM requests from people who don’t follow us or who have been following us for a short time.
- Restrictions: allows you to discreetly control the interactions of unwanted contacts, without having to block them. Once activated, comments from these people will only be visible to them, without them knowing that anyone else sees them. All DMs they send will go into the message requests folder.
- Account blocking: allows you to prevent someone from sending us messages or interacting with our content. Also, by blocking a person, you have the option of blocking all other accounts that they have or could create.