Kids are now safe on Instagram with this new AI feature
Hey there! Here comes a new blog and this time it’s an informative blog related to the technology world. This blog includes some insights about your favorite app, i.e. Instagram. So, without any further due, let’s get straight into it.
Instagram is one of the most liked and popular social media platforms among youngsters. Instagram is the most successful app created by none other than its parent company Facebook. It has all those attractive and funky features like — Instagram reels, stories, filters, etc. But it was still lagging in providing the most vital feature, i.e., safety. But now they have taken a step forward and have introduced this feature too.
Recently, Instagram has disclosed two significant measures for kids’ safety. It has thrown light on a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) based feature which confines adults from sending text messages to kids who don’t follow them. It is observed that there are some creepy adults who send continuous messages or follow requests to kids and often their intentions are not pure. Hence, by considering these detrimental activities, Instagram has decided to take necessary action wherein adults would no longer be able to DM juveniles who fall under the age of 18.
Be it the online world or the offline world, a child’s safety is the priority. Especially, nowadays when cyber crimes have increased drastically, it’s crucial to take serious safety measures directed towards kids. Kids nowadays start becoming active on social media from the tender age of 10 or 12. This results in parents being worried about their children and being skeptical of whether they should allow their children to use social media or not. The statistics say that between 2017 and 2019, in most countries of Central and Eastern Europe, children aged 9–11 years were upset by cyberbullying. Just imagine, such young kids were upset because of a serious cause like this!
Hence, the need for these kinds of safety features has increased. Privacy-related concerns have become a hot topic for quite a long time now. If you are not living under the rock, then you must be knowing the controversy related to WhatsApp. Two months back, WhatsApp came into a controversy where people started to abandon the app due to privacy-related concerns. WhatsApp was accused of sharing user data with the parent company, Facebook. After this incident, people have become more concerned about their privacy. Although WhatsApp dismissed all these controversial rumors, saying that they continue to protect messages via end-to-end encryption, we can’t ignore the fact that children aren’t safe on any of these social media platforms. Cybercrimes and child abuse are very much present in society. The new AI feature launched by Instagram would be helpful to prevent any kind of child abuse or cybercrime. So far Instagram has provided minute details about it. Its holding company, Facebook has confirmed that it uses AI-based features. Instagram further added by saying that they’ll be launching this feature globally soon.
Working of this system:
- First, it hunts down for any kind of questionable behavior from the encoder’s/sender’s end like sending too many friend requests or messages to kids who are under 18.
- Then, it conveys a safety notice on the recipient’s end, i.e., on their DM.
- It also provide the options to the recipient’s end like — to end the conversation, to restrict, to block, or report the user.
Additional Benefits:
- Instagram will encourage teenagers for making their accounts private.
- It will try to make teenagers understand the benefits of a private account by sending notifications like, “ Highlighting the benefits of a private account and reminding them to check their settings.”
Conclusion:
Instagram’s initiative towards child safety is commendable and is something that needs to be appreciated. It shows that they genuinely care about their users. Although we are still not assured whether kids will be completely safe by this new feature or not, this step is a great one since it’ll be taking necessary actions against suspicious behavior. AI is inevitable but it should be used wisely by the companies, keeping in mind the safety of its users. After all, “Prevention is better than cure.” This feature would help the parents to get some relief about their child’s safety. Hopefully, this new initiative will bring in a safe and secure online environment for the kids.
