Instagram introduces bulk delete, tag controls and more features to fight online bullying

Instagram has been working on strengthening anti-bullying features on the platform. In its recent update, the app has said it will now enable users to delete negative comments in bulk, block or restrict negative accounts, and highlight any positive comment. The updates have been revealed in Instagram’s fifth Community Standards Enforcement report that was uploaded to the company’s blog. Aimed at users with a large following, the new features enable one to manage “multiple unwanted interactions at once”. Users can choose and delete up to 25 comments at once to help fight online bullying on the platform. Also, one can block or restrict multiple accounts that spread negativity. [caption id=“attachment_7478291” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] Representational Image.[/caption] According to the company blog, an Android user can press and hold a comment, then tap on the dotted icon and select ‘block’ or ‘restrict’. iOS users can enable this feature by tapping on a comment and then the dotted icon on the top right corner. Select ‘manage comments’ and choose up to 25 comments to delete. By selecting the ‘more options’ button, one can block or restrict accounts in bulk. Other features include pinning comments to the top. Instagram said that it will soon start testing the feature so that people can “set the tone for their account and engage with their community by pinning a select number of comments to the top of their comments thread”. [caption id=“attachment_8364281” align=“alignnone” width=“1400”] Image: Instagram[/caption] Now, users can also control who will be able to tag or mention them on the platform. “You can choose whether you want everyone, only people you follow or no one to be able to tag or mention you in a comment, caption or Story,” the blog read. [caption id=“attachment_8364271” align=“alignnone” width=“1400”] Image: Instagram[/caption] According to a report by The Verge, Instagram had introduced an AI-powered tool previously that warned users that their caption for a photo or video can be “potentially offensive” before it being uploaded on their feed. After writing a caption, a message box would appear that read: “This caption looks similar to others that have been reported”. Then, the user was given the option of editing their caption, learning more about the issue or sharing the original caption anyway.