Instagram Users Can Silence Bullies With New Tool

Instagram is rolling out a new feature called Restrict that allows users to silence cyberbullies in response to a “disproportionate amount of online bullying” among young users, the social media platform said on its website.

Facebook-owned Instagram has integrated other features on the platform to make online discussions more civil, including the use of artificial intelligence to detect bullying in photos and captions.

Now users are able to block followers who bully them, yet still keep an eye on what they’re saying.

“Bullying is a complex issue,” Instagram said, noting that many young people are reluctant to report or block followers who bully them. By using the Restrict, Instagram users can swipe left on the objectionable comment, through either the privacy tab in settings, or directly on the profile of the account they want to restrict.

That doesn’t make the comment disappear, but only the person who made it is able to see it, Instagram explained. The targeted individual can choose to view the comment by tapping on it, giving them an opportunity to keep tabs on the person bullying them. Users have the option to approve the comment for public views, delete it or ignore it.

A 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 59 percent of U.S. teens experience some kind of cyberbullying or online harassment, and a similar number think it’s a big problem for kids their age. However, 90 percent of them think social media companies, teachers and politicians are doing a poor job of addressing the issue, the survey found.

In a long-running national advocacy reporting project on bullying, Patch has been bringing attention to the terrible and sometimes deadly toll the mean behavior of others can take on America’s youth. Teasing, harassment and even bullying have always been a part of growing up.

But at a time when most teens have smartphones — 95 percent of them, according to another Pew study — social media is integral to how the communicate and maintain their relationships.

Behind Google’s YouTube video platform, Instagram is the second-most popular social media platform among teens. Pew Research said its survey showed 72 percent of U.S. teens use it, and 15 percent use it most often. That compares with 85 percent who use YouTube, and 32 percent who use it most often.

Snapchat is the third-most popular platform, used by 69 percent of teens and most popular among 35 percent of them.

Instagram said that for National Bullying Prevention Month, it is partnering with PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and an illustrator who is turning ideas presented at Instagram’s Teen Bullying Prevention Design Workshop into posters that will be distributed to thousands of U.S. schools and community centers.

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

Do you have a story to tell? Are you concerned about how your local schools handle bullies and their victims?

Email us at bullies@patch.com and share your views in the comments.

Selected Stories From The Project

• Bullied To Death: When Kids Kill With Words
• Teen Bullied, Outed As Bisexual Takes His Life
• Boy, 13, Dies 9 Days After Moreno Valley Middle School Attack
• Community Mourns Diego, 13, Bullied Boy Who Died In Attack
• I Could Have Been Mallory Grossman
• Bullied Over Homemade T-Shirt, Kid Inspires University Of Tennessee Design
• Howell Teen Runs To Save Lives, Change Statistics On Suicide
• America's Shameful Truth About School Shooters And Bullying
• Cyberbullying Most Often Affects Girls; These Women Are Trying To Stop It
• Bullying Kids: Straighten Up, Or Your Parents May Have To Pay Up
• Teen Who Killed Himself Wasn't 'Worthless,' Family Tells Bullies
• Menace Of Bullies: Why This Woman Resigned Her 6-Figure Job
• Survivor Of Bullying And Suicide Writes Frankly About Both
• ‘I Will Be Your Friend’: First-Grader’s Shirt Fights Bullies
• Girl-To-Girl Bullying: Why It's Different, Difficult To Confront
• What Prompts Bullying In This Ohio School
• Cyberbullying In This Michigan City Carries $500 Fine, 3 Months In Jail
• Bully Upstander: Whatever He Said Caused Bullies To Back Down
• Bullying Caused 11-Year-Old To Attempt Suicide, Mother Says
• Bullied 10-Year-Old's Suicide 8th In School District This Year
• The Menace Of Bullies: Most U.S. States Take On Cyberbullying
• Cyberbullying Is Now Against The Law In Michigan
• Shooting Incident Linked To Bullying At School, Mom Says
• Girls More Likely Than Boys To See Bullying As Harmful: Study
• 13-Year-Old Hangs Herself, But Bullying Killed Her
• Teen Tells Bullies In Video: 'Every Day, I Wear Your Words'
• 'The Hero Myth': Why Expecting Kids To Fight Bullies Is Harmful
• 'Mr. Anti-Bully': Reformed Bully, 12, Sets Mistake Right
• Mallory Grossman Bullying Detailed In Wrongful Death Suit
• Malden Schools Were Non-Compliant Through Bullying Saga: DOE
• 'They All Failed And Changed A Child': Malden Bullying Detailed
• Mom Speaks About Bullying Heartbreak: 'I Feel I Failed Him'
• Why These Kindergartners Start Each Day With A Handshake
• The Bully Menace: 'The Hurt Never Goes Away'
• Bullies And Their Targets The Same: Digital Self-Harm Rising
• Williamsburg Poetry Teacher Helps Bullied Kids Open Tortured Minds
• Bullying Tougher To Confront When It's Bias-Based: Researchers
• The Bully Menace: 13 Age-Appropriate Reads
• Teen's 'I Wear Your Words' Video Inspires Nashville Songwriters

From No Bully, Patch News Partner

• 5 Things Students Can Do To Prevent Bullying
• School Shootings: Eradicating Bullying Must Be Part Of Safety Plan
• Eradicating Bullying: Progress On Creating Bully-Free Environment
• Is Screen Time Hurting My Child?
• Preschool Children: Online And Dangerous
• What Every Young Child Needs To Know About Being Online
• Patch Partners With No Bully To Help Eradicate Bullying
• Meet 14-Year-Old CEO On Mission To Spread Kindness, Stop Bullying
• Meet Talen And Cooper, 2 Upstanders Demonstrating Kindness
• Cyberbullying Is Now A Crime In Michigan: Is Criminalizing A Good Idea?
• Hitting A Homerun With Kindness With The Phillies

From The Experts

• 'The Anti-Bully': Talk And, Especially, Listen To Your Kids
• The Bully Menace: Patch Experts Offer Tips To Parents
• Anti-Bully Experts Offer Tips On Sometimes Deadly Encounters
• Understanding The Bully: They're Often Victims, Too, Experts Say

What We've Learned

• 10 Key Takeaways From Patch’s The Menace Of Bullies Series
• The Bully Menace: What Patch Has Learned About Bullying