Digital Smarts - Instagram’s Restrict Mode – A Way to Block Bullies

If you are not already aware of it, Instagram has a “Restrict” option that givers users control over what comments their followers see on each of their posts. Instagram instituted the option after it was found that young people are reluctant to block, unfollow, or report a bully because it could escalate the situation, especially if they interact with their bully in real life. With this tool, a bully will still be able to see their own comment on their target’s post, but other Instagrammers won't know the comment exists. By restricting a bully, the user is in full control over mean comments while keeping a bully unaware that others are not seeing their taunts.

How can users take advantage of this feature? To restrict comments from a certain account, users should first find a comment that was left on any of their photos. If you swipe left over the comment, a "restrict" option will appear. The person you restrict will not receive a notification they've been silenced. Instead, they'll be able to continue posting their nasty comments to an audience of only themselves.

Other social media platforms are making similar changes. Twitter introduced a feature called "hide replies," which is similar to the Instagram "Restrict" idea, but with one main difference. When a Twitter user hides replies, they are still accessible to the public through a drop-down menu that allows any user to see what hidden comments were left in the thread.