With the rise of social apps, teenagers are increasingly vulnerable to online risks like sextortion, a form of blackmail involving threats to expose intimate images. As social platforms, including Instagram, become more widely used among younger audiences, they create pathways for bad actors to directly contact teens. In response, Meta has rolled out a series of safety enhancements designed to protect teenagers on Instagram.
Understanding Sextortion and Its Impact
Sextortion is a particularly harmful form of online abuse, where perpetrators threaten to share private photos of individuals unless certain demands are met, often involving money. Teens, due to their frequent use of social media and lesser experience navigating online threats, are the most targeted group. The nature of platforms like Instagram makes it easier for such threats to occur, highlighting the need for more robust safety measures.
Meta’s New Protective Features for Teen Accounts
Meta has implemented several new features aimed at reducing the risk of sextortion for teen Instagram users:
- Message Filtering and Blocking: Instagram will now hide or block message requests from unknown or suspicious accounts in teenagers’ main inboxes. This reduces the chances of bad actors reaching out to potential victims.
- Restricted Messaging: Users under 16 will only be able to exchange messages with individuals they already follow, limiting unsolicited interactions with strangers.
- Warning Alerts: If a teenager receives a message from a suspicious account, Instagram will issue a warning, encouraging caution before engaging in conversation.
Controlling Suspicious Accounts’ Access
Instagram is also taking steps to block bad actors from accessing teens’ follower lists and tagged photos. Accounts flagged as “potentially scammy” will be unable to view or interact with this content. This move aims to prevent malicious users from finding more potential victims through a teen’s connections.
While Meta hasn’t provided full transparency on what qualifies an account as suspicious, several factors are taken into consideration. These might include the account’s age, shared connections, or the country of origin, which help Instagram’s system identify high-risk profiles.
Enhancing Direct Messaging Safety
To further protect teens, Instagram has incorporated security features directly into its Direct Messaging (DM) system:
- Temporary Messaging Controls: Photos and videos sent via temporary messages are now more secure. Screenshots or screen recordings are blocked for these images, and the content won’t be viewable through the Instagram web interface.
- Blurred Nudity Detection: If any explicit content is detected in a teen’s DMs, Instagram will automatically blur the image, reducing the risk of exposure to harmful content.
