Your Instagram pages should be safe spaces where we can express ourselves without fearing harassment and abuse. But unfortunately, the football game has shown us that there is still more to stop the flow of online abuse.
If you want to keep your Instagram safe for you, there are a few tools you can put in place to prevent offensive content from reaching you, whether it’s a comment that contains racist emojis or harassing messages from people you don’t follow.
Yes, you can report comments on Instagram, but the strategies below can filter abuse before you see it. Here is how.
Strategies to Filter Abusive Comments And Messages On Instagram
1. Filter Out Abusive Messages And Comments
In April, Instagram proposed a new feature that enabled users to filter out abusive comments and messages containing offensive words, phrases, or emojis.
- To turn on the filters, visit a section of your privacy settings called “Hidden Words.”
- There is a “manage custom word list” area here. You can disable offensive comments or DM requests. You may always add to the list. Your comments or emails will not contain misspelled words.
- Ensure you have “hide comments” and “hide message requests” toggled in your settings.
2. Limit Or Turn Off Comments
If you’re targeted, you’ll get a flood of comments that the other settings can’t handle. In that case, you can temporarily disable comments on all of your posts or just specific posts.
In your privacy settings, select “Comments” and then select “Allow Comments.” You’ll find four options that allow you to receive comments from everyone, people you follow and your followers, people you follow, and only your followers. Choose which option is best for you.
If you want to limit comments in all your post or one post, in particular, click the three dots in the top-right corner of that post and select “Turn off comments.”
No one should make abusive messages and comments. For a complete list of Instagram security features, visit their guide for creators.
3. Block profiles and any duplicate accounts
If a particular person is harassing you, you can now block that profile and block any new accounts created by that person.
So now, when you block someone, you can select their account and any new accounts they create to make sure you’ll never hear from them again.
4. Turn off DMs from people you don’t follow
First, all Instagram accounts have an option to turn off direct messages from people they don’t follow.
- To change your message-related settings, go to your settings, select “Privacy,” and then navigate through “Messages.”
- First, choose “Your followers on Instagram” and select “Don’t accept requests.”
- Then click “Others on Instagram” and select “Don’t accept applications” to ensure people who don’t follow you can’t DM you.
In April, Instagram announced a new tool that will allow users to automatically filter Direct Message requests containing offensive words, phrases, and emojis. In addition, This tool is targeted at celebrities and public figures who receive a large number of unnecessary, abusive DMs.
The company said it would disable user accounts that sent multiple harassment messages in February. In 2018, the company expanded its offensive comment filter to automatically block comments that attack a person’s appearance or character.
The Messages request filter may be set on or off in “Hidden Words” in the app. When set, inappropriate messages are transferred to a different folder. This folder also hides DMs, allowing users to browse without reading them. If users tap a statement, they can read, delete, or report it.
The digital marketing company says it worked with several “leading anti-discrimination and bullying organizations” to prepare a preset list of offensive phrases. Users can also customize their word list based on what they do not want to see.