American multinational technology company Facebook-owned Instagram will allow users control how much sensitive content they can see under its “Explore” tab.
The Explore tab shows popular photographs, locations, and searches depending on the user’s interests and enables them to choose from categories including food, art, and travel.
The company stated that the new “Sensitive Content Control” feature will enable users to decide if they want to view more or less of some kinds of sensitive content that do not necessarily break its rules, such as posts that may be sexually suggestive or violent.
“We recognize that everybody has different preferences for what they want to see in Explore, and this control will give people more choice over what they see,” the app said in a post.
Instagram, like other social media platforms, has long struggled with how to handle problematic or abusive content. Furthermore, the app has made other modifications for users to customize their experience, including adding new tools for people to turn off comments or restrict people from interacting with them.
Facebook is clear that this setting is based on its Recommendation Guidelines, which govern what can show up on the Explore page, and not its Community Guidelines. Facebook said in a statement, “The setting will be accessible by going to your profile, then tapping Settings > Account > Sensitive Content Control.”
Social media platforms are making a significant investment to attract content creators, while also working to enable safe content on their platforms as competition in the industry accelerates.
Recently, Instagram was reportedly working on a new feature named ‘Limits’ that would enable users to temporarily block unwanted comments and messages they receive from groups of users.
