Instagram introduced new safety features to prevent sextortion schemes, marking the platform’s latest effort to protect users, especially teenagers, from online harm. The safety changes are part of a broader campaign by Instagram designed to help teenagers and parents more easily spot sextortion scams, the social media platform announced Thursday, the Hill reports. Sextortion occurs when a victim is coerced to provide sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves and threatened with them being shared publicly. The actors behind these scams often try to deceive teens about where they live to build trust, Instagram noted. To prevent this, Instagram will test new safety notices in its direct messages and Messenger, which will inform teen users if they are speaking with someone who may be located in a different country.
Sextortion scammers can take advantage of a user’s following and follower list for blackmail. To counter this, Instagram said accounts suspected of this behavior will not be able to see others’ following and follower lists, or the accounts that have engaged in someone’s posts or accounts. Users eventually will no longer be able to screenshot or screen record images or videos sent in Instagram direct messages or Messenger without the person’s consent and awareness, and a nudity protection feature will be enabled for all users under 18. Users in the U.S. will have access to a “Crisis Text Line” where they can chat live with a volunteer crisis counselor over Instagram direct messages or Messenger. The changes come as Instagram and other social media platforms face scrutiny from lawmakers and parents over social media's impact on youth safety and mental health. Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is facing dozens of lawsuits alleging the platforms were created to maximize young users’ time using features that may prompt mental health issues.
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