The ease of sharing photos and videos on Instagram has led this social network to grow its user base astronomically. However, the increase in the number of people on the platform also makes it necessary to improve the privacy options to stop offensive behavior in its tracks. Unfortunately, many posts get filled with abusive and offensive language that leads to bullying. The good news is that now you can put and end to these insults with the option to restrict comments.
The importance of protecting users from bullying
It’s important to point out that Instagram is a social network used by a pretty young target audience. According to a study from the company Global Index Web, 37% of users on the platform are between 17 and 24 years old. At this age, bullying can have life-long effects and that’s why it’s necessary to take steps to stop it. In fact, there are many Instagrammers who have had to flee the social network in the face of fear produced by certain groups of haters.
How to restrict comments on Instagram
With the new option to restrict comments on Instagram, you won’t have to put up with that person who seems to be out to get you in the comments on your posts. Using this new feature, the comments from these users will only be visible to you and the person who wrote them. It’s worth mentioning that you’ll also stop seeing the private messages sent by restricted accounts. The steps to activate this new feature are easy:
- Open the list of comments for one of your Instagram posts.
- Touch the comment from the user that you want to restrict.
- Tap on the alert button that appears in the upper part of the interface.
- Tap on Restrict.
- Tap the blue Restrict Account button.
This way, you won’t be blocking any users but you will be able to stop anyone from tainting the comment section for your posts. However, the recommendation is to block people who are causing you any sort of problems or mental abuse.
Manage restricted accounts
Furthermore, Instagram lets you see the list of accounts that you’ve restricted. Thanks to this possibility, it’ll be possible to lift the ban on certain users who you’ve worked things out with. To control the restrictions, you just have to follow a few steps:
- Access the settings menu from the tab in your personal profile.
- Tap on Privacy.
- Select Restricted accounts.
From here, you can select any users you’ve restricted and you have the option to give them back the permission to post visible comments. There’s even a search feature to make the process easier and segment results by profile name.
Your voice matters in the fight against bullying on social media
Although the new feature of restricting comments is focused on protecting users personally from offensive words, it can also be used to help others users to combat bullying. That’s why, if you view an abusive comment on another person’s post, you can report it so that Instagram intervenes.
- Select the abusive comment on any user’s post.
- Tap on the alert icon found in the upper part of the interface.
- Mark Offensive content to make it known that that’s what you’re reporting.
With this simple action, almost without even realizing it, you’ll be contributing to the movement to make social networks safer from bullying. After all, if we all band together toward a common goal, we should be able to greatly reduce the problem of digital bullying.
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