Meta has introduced new features on Instagram to enhance young users’ safety, including a nudity protection feature for direct messages (DMs). This feature blurs nudity in images and is set by default for users under 18, with adults prompted to activate it.
Meta emphasizes the importance of these updates in protecting young people from harm and making it tougher for scammers to target teens. The technology uses on-device machine learning for privacy, analyzing images locally within encrypted chats.
When users send direct messages containing nudity on Instagram, they’ll receive a reminder to be careful with “sensitive photos.” They’ll also be told they can retract the photos if they reconsider, but there’s a chance others may have already viewed them. Although Meta owns Facebook and WhatsApp, the nudity blur feature won’t be included in messages sent through those platforms.
The new feature is currently being tested with a larger rollout expected in the coming weeks.
