Instagram has unveiled a series of new safety features aimed at protecting teenagers from sextortion scams, as the Meta-owned platform intensifies efforts to make online interactions safer for young users.
The updates, announced on Wednesday, leverage advanced technology to detect scam behavior and introduce enhanced controls on the platform.
Targeting sextortion scams
Instagram will now limit the ability of suspicious accounts to interact with teenagers by using technology that spots potential scam activity. These accounts will no longer be able to view “Following” or “Follower” lists, a common tool scammers exploit to target and blackmail their victims.
In response to the rise of sextortion scams—where criminals coerce young people into sharing intimate images, later using them for blackmail—the platform has introduced further restrictions. Users will no longer be able to screenshot or screen-record ephemeral images and videos sent in direct messages using the platform’s ‘View once’ or ‘Allow replay’ features. The prevention of screenshots will also apply to the Instagram web version, minimising ways to bypass the safety measures.
Read More: Google messages set to boost privacy features with upcoming update
Instagram additional safety tools for teens
To bolster its safety initiatives, Instagram has rolled out nudity protection filters in direct messages, which will automatically blur images detected to contain nudity. This feature, turned on by default for users under 18, is part of the platform’s effort to warn teens about the risks of sharing sensitive images.
“These updates mean teens don’t need to worry about their intimate content being misused through screenshots,” Meta said in a statement, stressing that privacy protection will now be a core feature of Instagram’s direct messaging.
The platform is also launching a video campaign aimed at educating teenagers in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia on how to identify and avoid sextortion scams. The campaign will appear directly in the feeds of teen users.
These new updates follow Instagram’s earlier introduction of enhanced parental controls and safety measures for users under 16, placing them in the highest level of default safety settings on the platform.
