Instagram now lets you choose who can comment on your posts
Instagram is trying to make its app a nicer place.
The company is adding a new feature that allows you to control who is able to comment on your posts. It's also adding new mental health resources, better comment filtering, and new "kindness" stickers.
All of the changes are meant to "keep Instagram a safe and positive place for self-expression," the company said in a blog post, noting that the platform is now 800 million users strong.
By far the biggest news, though, are new comment controls. Now, users who have public-facing accounts will have much more control over who can and can't comment on their posts.
Previously, Instagram's options were all or nothing: you either had to allow comments from everyone or disable comments altogether. Now, the app's posting options include options to limit comments to accounts you follow, your followers, or a combination of the two.
You can also opt to block comments only from specific accounts, which should help curb some harassment on the service.
Additionally, Instagram is rolling out its filtering system, which automatically blocks abusive comments and spam, to more languages. Now the feature is available to the app's Arabic, French, German, and Portuguese-speaking users.
The company is also updating its mental health resources with a new anonymous reporting feature for live video. The new feature allows users to report when a broadcaster looks like they may need outside support. They'll then see a message with links to resources, including a helpline
Finally, Instagram will, over the next few months, introduce a set of "kindness" stickers aimed at encouraging users to post positive comments.
The updates come as the app's user base passed the 800 million user mark and is still growing faster than ever, according to the company.
Instagram has previously come under scrutiny for not doing enough to curb harassment and abuse on its platform, which is why it started to automate much of its filtering earlier this year.
Topics Instagram Social Media
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
