If you are tired of receiving unpleasant messages or being harassed on social networks, Instagram has integrated a specific function against these practices: restrict.
Cyberbullying is a constant problem on all social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, etc.
If we consider that the average time a Mexican spends connected to the internet is 8 hours and 12 minutes a day – according to the Study on the Habits of Internet Users in Mexico 2018 – then people are vulnerable to this type of attack, which occurs at different ages and the consequences can be many.
The States of the Republic with the highest incidence of Cyberbullying are Tabasco with 22.1%, Veracruz with 21.8%, Zacatecas with 21.4%, Guanajuato 20.3% and Aguascalientes with 20.3%, data obtained from the Module on Cyberbullying (Mociba) 2017 of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
Regarding the opinion of users, we know that of 84.5 million Mexicans, 73% use the internet from mobile devices and of these, 16.8% have experienced some situation of cyberbullying, according to the National Survey on Availability and Use of ICT in Households (ENDUTIH), 2017.
“Bullying is a challenge that many face, especially young people, so we are reconsidering the entire Instagram experience to fulfill this commitment to fight against harassment,” Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram.
The above figures only indicate the importance of having measures to protect the user, and with this new function, Instagram contributes to ensuring that harassment can avoid more serious consequences, including crimes, to give the person greater control over their experience on the social network.
A peculiarity of this option is that the “hater” comment will only be visible to the sender. That is, “when the user selects an account to restrict, that account may continue to comment on the publications but with the difference that the comment will only be visible to the sender. Neither the user nor their followers will receive this message, unless the account that restricts allows its followers to read this message,” La Vanguardia.
This measure is designed in this way, since efforts had previously been made to avoid or prevent harassment; however, reporting, blocking or unfollowing, sometimes instead of benefiting, contributed to worsening the situation.
With the option to restrict, the person can take care of their account and take safer actions, and this function can be undone, if desired. And do it directly on the user’s profile page or from the privacy section in Instagram settings.
We hope that this functionality contributes to solving or preventing a serious problem today. For the time being, it is necessary to know this type of tool that social networks are developing in the face of the challenges involved in social relations and interactions with the Internet in the world.
