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These are the measures and policies of Instagram against bullying
The app fights against online harassment and has clear policies to help those who are victims of bullying, punish offenders and provides training spaces and personal protection to its users.
One of the reasons why the supervision of children and adolescents when using social networks has become essential is the risk of bullying. It is alarming how this practice has affected many young people, causing psychological problems and even suicides.
With this in mind, Instagram has established measures and policies that prevent bullying and harassment online, provides tools for users to learn how to avoid, block and report it, punishes offenders, and even offers training / information to parents on this topic.
Comments and labels under surveillance
The word surveillance normally sets off alarms against what they call "Big Brother", but in this case we are talking about necessary actions.
Instagram regulates comments to prevent misuse of the App. If someone sends comments, and they are detected as potentially offensive, a reminder will appear about the rules and the possibility of deleting their comment, and taking other actions on their account.
As for the labels, you can configure your account to decide if you want to enable this option only for your followers or outright veto the labels for your user.
If even with these mechanisms, someone abuses and labels you in offensive comments, be they personal attacks or discriminatory posts, Instagram offers you other options to act.
Reporting and blocking abusive accounts
If someone abuses the platform, you can report it with the option to report the post. You will be asked for some additional information about the type of fault and the case will be evaluated.
You can be sure that your reports will be totally anonymous, the offending person is informed if their actions have generated a sanction, but they are not informed who has denounced them.
If the harassment is direct, the first recommended action is to block the user, that person will not be notified that you have blocked them, although if they search your profile they will know that you have taken action.
Likewise, if your direct messages are offensive or criminal, a report should be made.
Create your blacklist of words and limit those who do not follow you
In your account settings, you will have the option to create a word blacklist. This will apply to the personal messages they send you, and in the comments of your post. That way you can have a direct filter against offensive people.
Regularly, it can happen that people who do not follow you, but are fans for or against an ideology, religion or any preference that you express, start to review your post to dedicate themselves to giving an offensive opinion.
In such cases, it is best to configure your account so that no one who does not follow you can comment on your post or send you direct messages. In any case, the policy of reporting any offensive or discriminatory message on Instagram always applies.
Restrict comments to mislead the offender
This is an exceptional measure. If someone creates one, another and another account from different IPs to continue disturbing your post, you can restrict their comments.
This clever mechanism makes only that person see their comments on your post, but you and the rest of your followers will not read it.
Only if you click on "see the comment", it will appear on your wall, but the person will always believe that their posts are being seen. That way you avoid ridicule, while, with various reports, you achieve special Instagram measures against the person.
General tips to avoid bullying
The mechanisms and policies of Instagram are excellent, they demonstrate the App's commitment to its users and a continuous effort to protect the youngest and most vulnerable. However, it is convenient to know some tips to avoid bullying, such as:
Do not spread your user without control : Unless you want to create a brand and work with it, your Instagram user should only know your closest contacts, family and friends.
Don't use your exact name: Again, if you want to work on a personal brand; You are an artist, political personality, religious, or you lead a movement this does not apply, these are advice for the average user. By not placing your name, it is more difficult for a potential harasser to locate you in networks to annoy you.
Do not try to "straighten out" an aggressor: A person who harasses you is someone who needs help, an attempt to educate him can be understood as an invitation to get closer. It is even common for these types of people to confuse education with attraction and even love.
Inform your parents immediately: If you are a minor, you always have to inform your parents if someone bothers you in networks, it can be the starting point for an assault outside the home. In addition, your parents can file a complaint and have legal action taken. In all countries there are research offices in the informatics area.
