To help reduce targeted hate speech, abuse and harassment, Instagram this week announced a way for users to protect themselves against such abuse, following Twitter’s introduction of its own anti-harassment tools last month. Instagram has since September enabled users to apply filters to their comment streams based on specific keywords, and this week said users will soon be able to turn off comments on any post.
People with private accounts will be able to delete unwanted followers to help control who can view their posts. And, users will be able to anonymously report friends who may be posting about self-harm, prompting Instagram to contact them with support organizations to help.
A survey from Data & Society conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PRSAI) showed how widespread the problem is.
According to the findings, 72% of internet users have witnessed harassing behavior online, and 36% have experienced some type of online harassment directed at them.
