Instagram to blur nudes in messages sent to minors

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Instagram is preparing to roll out a new feature that will blur nude images in posts.

Announced by Meta, the new feature - which blurs images detected as containing nudity and discourages users from sending them - will be enabled by default for Instagram's teenage users, identified by the birthday information on their account. A notification will also encourage adult users to activate it.

These efforts follow long-standing criticism that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are harming young users. Accusations range from their impact on children's mental health and body image (dysmorphophobia), to creating a "market for child-seeking sexual predators".

Instagram tests new feature to protect minors from sexual images

The new feature will be tested in the coming weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal with a global rollout expected in the coming months. Meta claims that the feature uses machine learning on the device to analyze whether an image sent via Instagram's direct messaging service contains nudity. The company says it will not have access to these images unless they have been reported.

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Instagram strengthens protection for minors on its social network

When protection is enabled, Instagram users who receive nude photos will receive a message telling them not to feel obliged to respond, as well as options to block and report the sender. "This feature is designed not only to prevent people from seeing unwanted nudity in their DMs, but also to protect them from scammers who may send nude images to entice people to send their own images in return," said Meta.

Users attempting to send a nude will also see a message warning them of the dangers of sharing sensitive photos, while another warning message will discourage users from opening the received message.

This is Meta's latest attempt to strengthen child protection on its platforms, after backing a tool to take sexually explicit images of minors offline in February 2023 and restrict their access to harmful topics such as suicide, self-harm and eating disorders earlier this year.

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