In an effort to combat cyberbullying, Instagram is introducing the “caption warning.” Before submitting an inappropriate caption, a pop-up box will appear with a message prompting an edit. Instagram’s AI algorithm compares a caption to previously reported ones. Keywords such as “stupid” or other derogatory terms trigger the warning. This is all an effort to fight cyberbullying. Updates in the past include deleting offensive comments and allowing users to restrict bullies from seeing their posts.
Anti-Cyberbullying Features
The caption warning feature is debuting in several countries and is expected to go global soon. The social media giant reported that this gentle prompting has helped reduce the incidences of cyberbullying. There are other measures that Instagram has taken to protect young users. For example, restricting access to plastic surgery or weight-loss accounts. Even direct messages from restricted users are filtered and go directly to “message requests.”
Protect Yourself!
You can also take measures to protect yourself from bullies on Instagram. First, make your account private so only authorized people can see your posts and stories. Second, you can disable post comments if your account must be public for whatever reason. Third, it’s always a good idea to block users who continually post harassing comments to your account.
