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Instagram tightens default content settings for teens under 16 years old

New teenage users will default to a newsfeed that shows less sensitive content

Instagram announced the platform is rolling out a feature that defaults accounts for new users under 16 years old to “Less,” the most restrictive setting for Sensitive Content Control. Teenagers already on Instagram will get push notifications “encouraging” them to opt-in to the heavier filtering on what the algorithm shows them across Search, Explore, Hashtag Pages, Reels, Feed Recommendations, and Suggested Accounts.

The “Standard” setting in Instagram only lets users see some content deemed sensitive, while the “Less” option tightens the restrictions even further, and the “More” option allows users to see more sensitive content or accounts than the default settings. While users over 18 years old typically have access to “Standard,” “Less,” and “More,” teenagers currently only have access to “Standard” and “Less.”

In June, Instagram first introduced its “Less” option. A week later, it began rolling out a feature in the US and other countries to suggest that teenage users look at other content if they spend too much time on one particular topic and excludes topics tied to appearance comparison.

Instagram is also testing prompts for teens that suggest limiting who can interact with their content. The test will ask them to review privacy and security settings related to who can re-share their content, who can message them, the type of content they can see, and time management.

Teenage users will be encouraged to review who can interact with their content

The “Sensitive Content Control” feature launched on Instagram in July 2021. The filter was supposed to keep users from seeing potentially harmful and “inappropriate” material suggested to them on the Explore page. As Meta / Instagram ramps up suggested content in response to the rise of TikTok, the tuning applied to the algorithm has become more impactful.

The feature was met with backlash from many people in the art world, s*x workers, tattoo artists, and the cannabis industry since they could be excluded from the feed of suggestions if their accounts or content were flagged. In the Help Center, Instagram describes what it sees as sensitive content, including posts with depictions of violence or s*xually explicit or suggestive, promoting regulated products and substances, etc.

Instagram has recently introduced other features on Instagram that cater to providing a secure experience. In March, parental controls arrived on the platform that allows parents and guardians to monitor what their child does on Instagram, including how much time they spend on the app.

Instagram tightens default content settings for teens under 16 years old - Ivision Blog Instagram announced the platform is rolling out a feature that defaults accounts for new users under 16 years old to “Less,” the most restrictive setting for Sensitive Content Control. Teenagers already on Instagram will get push notifications “encouraging” them to opt-in to the heavier filt...

Snapchat rolls out its dual camera feature

Snapchat is adding a new feature to its main camera, allowing users to capture photos and videos using the front- and back-facing cameras on their phones at the same time.

The dual camera feature was initially announced back in April as part of Snapchat’s to-be-released director mode, which will give users access to a wider range of creative tools. The dual camera feature is coming directly to Snapchat just as BeReal — the nostalgia-tinged photo-sharing app using both cameras — is breaking into the mainstream.

Part of BeReal’s appeal is in the relatively minimal set of features and the mundanity of what users see when they open the app. It only supports images, there’s just one layout for pictures, and it doesn’t include any editing tools. Snapchat’s version is more robust than what BeReal offers. For one, users can pick from several different layout options, including windows stacked vertically, side by side, picture in picture (the most similar to BeReal), and cutout. Snap also says users will be able to add lenses, stickers, and music to their content captured with the dual camera setting.

A dual camera is available on iOS starting today, with Android following in the coming months.

Other platforms have jumped in to try to take advantage of the appeal of BeReal. Last week, leakers noticed that Instagram was testing something called IG Candid, which apparently prompts users to snap a picture using both cameras at a specific time of day, just like BeReal. Meta said it was an internal test only.

Snapchat rolls out its dual camera feature - Ivision Blog Snapchat is adding a new feature to its main camera, allowing users to capture photos and videos using the front- and back-facing cameras on their phones at the same time. The dual camera feature was initially announced back in April as part of Snapchat’s to-be-released director mode, which will g...

“IG Candid” feature asks for a photo at a specific time of day; similar to BeReal

Meta has confirmed that it’s internally prototyping a new Instagram feature that’s suspiciously similar to BeReal, the social media app that’s recently exploded in popularity. The so-called “IG Candid” feature discovered by leaker Alessandro Paluzzi mirrors BeReal by prompting the user to share an authentic photo at a random time each day.

Paluzzi posted a screenshot with Instagram’s description of how the feature could work. “Add other’s IG Candid to your story tray. And every day at a different time, get a notification to capture and share a Photo in 2 Minutes,” the screenshot reads.

https://twitter.com/alex193a/status/1561803897118810121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1561803897118810121%7Ctwgr%5Ebfcd118319f808dec940bf420e05ea64a62f2b4d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2022%2F8%2F23%2F23317802%2Finstagram-ig-candid-prototype-bereal-murder-clone

For the uninitiated, that’s almost exactly how the BeReal experience is meant to work. The service, which rose to prominence last month and is currently the No. 1 free app in the iOS App Store, sends a notification to its users at a random time of day, giving them two minutes to take both a rear-facing photo and a selfie simultaneously. It’s a format that’s supposed to encourage the sharing of authentic images from people’s days, rather than the kinds of carefully curated content that Instagram is known for.

Meta confirmed that it’s testing the IG Candid feature in a statement. “This feature is an internal prototype, and not testing externally,” said Meta spokesperson Christine Pai. That suggests there’s no definite timeline for when the feature might become available publicly if it is even released at all.

But given how Meta and other social media giants have responded to other popular apps over the years, it seems safe to assume that Instagram will eventually roll out a response to BeReal if its popularity continues. After all, when Snapchat’s Stories feature became popular, Instagram rolled out a Stories feature of its own, and Reels is an obvious response to the popularity of TikTok.

Meta is far from the only tech giant to have rolled out a murder clone or two. YouTube Shorts is another transparent attempt to cash in on the popularity of vertically shot short-form videos, and Twitter was quick to roll out Spaces in response to the popularity of Clubhouse.

This isn’t even the first time Meta has been accused of copying BeReal. Last month, around the time BeReal was rocketing in popularity, it widely rolled out a new feature called Dual which allows you to take a photo or video from both your phone’s front and rear camera simultaneously. People were quick to point out the BeReal similarities, although Dual differs by allowing you to capture the content whenever you want, rather than having to wait for daily notification. But according to one former Instagram product designer, the Dual feature had actually been in development for several years, and its release around the time of BeReal’s explosion in popularity was simply “convenient.”

“IG Candid” feature asks for a photo at a specific time of day; similar to BeReal - Ivision Blog Meta has confirmed that it’s internally prototyping a new Instagram feature that’s suspiciously similar to BeReal, the social media app that’s recently exploded in popularity. The so-called “IG Candid” feature discovered by leaker Alessandro Paluzzi mirrors BeReal by prompting the user to ...

Google Meet is copying Zoom’s push-to-talk feature

As Google carries out the needlessly complex process of combining both the Meet and Duo apps, now it’s throwing a feature copied from Zoom in the mix. In an update on the Google Workspace blog, the company announced that Google Meet will soon give you the ability to unmute yourself by holding down the spacebar and to mute yourself again by releasing it.

If you frequently use Zoom, this feature might sound a lot like its push-to-talk feature — and that’s because it’s essentially the same thing. Zoom obviously didn’t revolutionize this feature (we have walkie-talkies to thank for that), but it conveniently makes it available during video conferences, which comes in handy whenever you want to chime in during a meeting but don’t want to stay unmuted for long. Cisco’s Webex has a similar capability, and while Microsoft Teams widely launched a Walkie-Talkie feature earlier this year, it’s not something you can use during video conferences.

Google says it'll start rolling out its own version of the shortcut to all Workspace users on September 9th, but it could take up to 15 days for you to see it. Once it arrives, it won’t be turned on by default, so you’ll have to enable it from Google Meet’s settings.

Confusingly, Google’s efforts to merge Duo and Meet have left us with the new Meet app (the one that combines both Duo and Meet), the old Meet (Original) app, and a Duo shortcut that leads to Meet. It’s truly something only Google could think up. It’s still not exactly clear whether it’s coming to the Meet (Original) app, as Google will eventually discontinue it.

Google Meet is copying Zoom’s push-to-talk feature - Ivision Blog As Google carries out the needlessly complex process of combining both the Meet and Duo apps, now it’s throwing a feature copied from Zoom in the mix. In an update on the Google Workspace blog, the company announced that Google Meet will soon give you the ability to unmute yourself by holding down...