The next time you scroll through your Instagram feed, you might notice a photo or video with a blurred layer over it, and a warning before you take a look. That's because of a new feature from the app.
As part of a new update, Instagram may add a blurred filter over photos that the community has deemed "sensitive." These photos don't necessarily break Instagram's rules, though. Instead, if a user reports the photo or video, and an Instagram staffer confirms it's "sensitive," the screen will go up.
So what counts as sensitive? The Verge reports that it'll first just mean scenes that show violence, and it could later expand to sexually explicit posts. "Examples include animal rights groups that share content to expose animal testing conditions or animal abuse, or content that raises awareness of humanitarian crises around the world (famine, impact of war on local communities)," Instagram told the site.
The blur will feature a message saying the content has been reported as offensive or disturbing, but you have to do is tap it to see the content. "This change means you are less likely to have surprising or unwanted experiences in the app," the company wrote in a blog post.
Meanwhile, Instagram has also launched a site that gives you tips on how to keep yourself safe on the site. Instagram Together can show you how to block and report accounts, remove followers, and how to support a friend who is asking for help.
