Instagram is now asking bullies: "Are you sure?"

Instagram believes that its new anti-bullying tool, which encourages users to pause and think about what they say, could help reduce platform abuse.

It will also soon offer intimidation targets the ability to restrict interactions with users who are causing distress.

Instagram has been under pressure to face its problem of intimidation after high-profile cases, including the suicide of British teenager Molly Russell.

In a blog post, Adam Mosseri, general manager of the company, said his company "could do more" on the issue.

"We can do more to prevent bullying from happening on Instagram and we can do more to give its targets the means to defend themselves," Mosseri wrote.

"These tools are based on a deep understanding of how people mutually abuse each other and how they respond to bullying on Instagram, but these are just two steps on a longer path."

"Rethink"

Instagram said that it uses artificial intelligence to recognize texts when they look like the type of messages that users most often report as inappropriate.

In one example, a person types "you are so ugly and stupid", then interrupted by a message saying, "Are you sure you want to post this? Learn more".

If the user presses "Learn More," a message says, "We ask people to rethink comments that sound similar to those that have been reported."

Anyway, the user can ignore the message and publish, but Instagram said in preliminary tests that "we found that it encouraged some people to cancel their comment and share something less hurtful once they had had the opportunity to think "

The tool is being rolled out for English-speaking users at first, with plans to make it eventually available worldwide, said Instagram at the BBC.

Limit

The company announced the upcoming launch of an additional tool, called Restrict, designed to help teens filter offensive language without blocking others – a brutal move that could have repercussions in the real world.

"The youth in our community told us that they were reluctant to block, cancel the follow – up process or report intimidation, as this could worsen the situation, especially if they were interacting with the community. bully in real life, "said Mosseri.

"Some of these actions also make it difficult for a target to track the behavior of his attacker."

Once a user has been restricted, his comments will appear only to himself. Above all, a restricted person will not know that she has been restricted.

"You can choose to make the comments of a restricted person visible by approving their comments," Mosseri said.

"Restricted people will not be able to see when you're active on Instagram or when you read their direct messages."

& # 39; No apologies & # 39;

Intimidation on social media, particularly Instagram, was put at the center of tragic attention earlier this year.

Molly Russell's 14-year-old father, who committed suicide, said that painful information about depression and suicide on Instagram was partly responsible for her daughter's death.

In April, the UK government released its online publication, Online Harms, a policy proposal to strengthen the control of technology companies. He suggests the creation of an independent regulatory body to determine the means by which companies should deal with all forms of abuse, including intimidation.

The document elicited mixed reactions, with some questioning its effectiveness and fearing that it would be excessive.

At the recent Facebook developer conference, Mosseri said that one of the main goals of Instagram – which Facebook owns – is to combat the problem of bullying.

"It's really encouraging to see that the new feature has been rolled out," said Alex Holmes, deputy general director of anti-bullying at the Diana Award, and long-time advocate of anti-bullying.

The group received funding from Facebook for concrete initiatives in schools to combat bullying. Mr Holmes told the BBC that he believed that social media companies could always do more to actively inform users of decent behavior.

"If you're under 18, you should be aware when you register," he said.

"I think it would be pretty simple, for the first five minutes, to move in. The platforms should be able to make the security issue more attractive, more appealing."

If you have been affected by l & # 39; self-harm, eating disordersor emotional distress, help and support are available via BBC line of action.

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