Bully Filter and Kindness Prom to Protect Instagram Community

Starting today, Instagram will filter bullying comments intended to harass or upset people in the Instagram community. To be clear: we don’t tolerate bullying on Instagram. Our Community Guidelines have always prohibited bullying on our platform, and I’m proud to announce this next step in our ongoing commitment to keeping Instagram an inclusive, supportive place for all voices.

Last year we announced our offensive comment filter, which automatically hides toxic and divisive comments, particularly those aimed at at-risk groups. This new filter hides comments containing attacks on a person’s appearance or character, as well as threats to a person’s well-being or health. The bullying filter is on for our global community and can be disabled in the Comment Controls center in the app. The new filter will also alert us to repeated problems so we can take action. To learn more about our comment filters and how to customize the comments on your posts, visit the Instagram Help Center.

We are also expanding our policies to guard against bullying young public figures on our platform. Protecting our youngest community members is crucial to helping them feel comfortable to express who they are and what they care about.

We also believe in promoting kindness – encouraging our community to support one another both on and off Instagram. On Saturday we will host a Kindness Prom to celebrate people in our community who are spreading positivity. These young leaders are inspiring their peers by helping kindness, acceptance and support grow on Instagram and in the world.

Since Mike and I founded Instagram, it’s been our goal to make it a safe place for self-expression and to foster kindness within the community. This update is just the next step in our mission to deliver on that promise.

— Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder & CEO