New tools in Instagram to protect youngsters

California: Meta has introduced new tools on photo-sharing app Instagram to protect young people.

The purpose of these tools is to protect youth from being blackmailed.

According to the company, it is now being made difficult for suspicious accounts to target youth on Instagram.

Follow requests from suspicious accounts will be sent to spam folders or blocked entirely by the company.

Instagram is also testing an alert that will warn young people about a message they receive from a suspicious account, telling them that the message has been sent from another country.

Likewise, if a suspicious account is already following a youth, it will be blocked from seeing its follower lists and accounts that tag it in posts.

Meta did not say how such suspicious accounts would be determined.

But according to the company spokesperson, various indicators like the age of the account holder and mutual friends, etc. will be taken into consideration.

Screenshots of photos sent to Direct Messages by Meta will not be allowed and these photos will not be able to open on the web version of Instagram.

Meta is currently facing criticism regarding the privacy and security of young users and hence the company has introduced new tools.

A lawsuit has been filed by more than 30 US states, saying the company is not taking adequate steps to protect young people from harassment.