Meta has announced an update to its child safety features on Instagram, aimed at blocking predators from targeting accounts featuring children. The move comes after a 2023 lawsuit accused Facebook and Instagram of allowing users to search for and share child sexual abuse material.
As part of the update, Meta will “avoid recommending” adult-run accounts that frequently feature images of children to suspicious adults, including those who have been blocked by teenagers. The app will also hide comments from potentially suspicious adults on their posts and make it harder for both kinds of accounts to find each other in Search.
The company has introduced new blocking and reporting capabilities for teenagers, as well as additional protections for adult-managed accounts that feature children. These features aim to prevent online harassment and exploitation of minors.
Some additional safety measures include automatically defaulting Teen accounts to Instagram’s strictest message settings when they create new posts featuring kids in the coming months. Teen users will also receive a combined report and block option in their DMs, along with information on when the account joined Instagram.
The update builds on Meta’s previous changes, including stopping accounts that heavily feature children from offering subscriptions or receiving gifts.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/712518/meta-instagram-algorithm-recommendations-update-child-predators