Instagram is taking new steps to safeguard minors from sextortion, or extortion with nude photos, on their social network. To begin with, nude photos sent in direct messages will be initially blurred for all users, as announced on Instagram’s blog. Minors’ accounts will automatically have nudity protection enabled, while adults will receive a message prompting them to turn on the protection. Those attempting to send nude photos will be reminded to be cautious, and recipients will receive blurred images, giving them the option to view them or not.
Accounts suspected of being involved in sextortion will face restrictions that limit their ability to contact underage users on Instagram. For example, they will be unable to send direct messages to minors. These new measures are set to first be tested in Central and Latin American countries starting in May before being implemented worldwide.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has faced criticism in the United States and France for not adequately prioritizing the mental health of teenage users. In January, they introduced initial measures to provide better protection for young users, such as requiring explicit parental consent to make accounts public. The European Commission is currently conducting investigations into Meta, Snap (Snapchat), TikTok and YouTube regarding the measures taken to safeguard the physical and mental health of minors.
