7 Instagram Safety Tips
Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today. With over 800 million users it offers a fun and exciting way for users to explore their creative side through photos and videos. Additionally, it provides an excellent platform for sharing material with the people who follow you. In the same way that it has a lot of users, Instagram also has a good number of developers who are continually working to improve the app to offer you excellent user experience, while making your time on the application as safe as possible.
Recently, Instagram launched a few new tools which it says are intended to strengthen its pledge to safety and kindness. Even so, many people still do not know how to stay safe on the app, nor do they use the security features it offers. Here are seven tips for staying safe on Instagram:
1. Anonymous reporting tools
Instagram has launched a new safety feature that allows you to anonymously report live broadcasts of someone having a hard time. For instance, if you see someone posting about self-injury or suicide, you can use this feature to alert Instagram. Instagram will send the user a message notifying them that they have received a report that they may be in need of help. It will go ahead to offer various resources such as a helpline, self-help articles or suggestions to confide in a friend. Instagram has teams of people working 24 hours, every day of the week around the world on the lookout for such reports.
2. Motivating and encouraging messages through #kindcomments
Instagram is always coming up with new ways to make the platform a welcoming place for everyone. In a bid to strengthen the Instagram community, it is putting up a series of IRL murals in various cities across the world. These kindness walls can be used to share, photos or videos and then share them on the wall to make someone’s day. Instagram has also launched 7 kindness stickers which can be used whenever you want to participate. The stickers turn any photo or video into an expression of kindness and are meant to encourage users to post encouraging words to one another.
3. Two-factor Authentication
This is an essential and useful security measure that users can use to activate their Instagram accounts. It protects your account by making sure only you can access your account from a new device. The two-factor security feature denies access to your account even if someone else has your password. It provides an extra shield of protection by sending an SMS security code or backup code on your mobile phone, this is in addition to the username and password when logging in through a new or unknown device.
How to set up the two-factor authentication
• Go to your Instagram Profile
• Click on the settings Icon
• Check for the “Two Factor Authentication” on the menu and then click on it
• Turn the feature on and then set it up using your mobile phone.
Therefore, anytime you or anyone tries to log into your Instagram account through a different device, Instagram will send you an extra code to gain access to your account.
4. Control Post viewability
A new Instagram account is visible to the entire community by default. You can opt to control who views your account by switching to the private account setting.
Steps;
• Go to your profile page
• Navigate to the setting’s tab
• Toggle the “Private Account” setting to “on.”
5. Comments Controls
The comments on your photos can be negative or positive. However, Instagram requires its users to be very comfortable with the comments that show up on their posts. It is for this reason that it added the ability to filter comments. A while back, Instagram launched a language filter that can block offensive comments that are written in English. Since then, Instagram has been able to add four more languages to the filter to prevent offensive remarks in Arabic, German, French, and Portuguese. Thanks to this new feature, you can automatically turn off nasty comments on any of your old or recent posts.
Steps;
• Go to your settings tab
• Click on Comments
• And then Click on hide offensive comments, under the Automatic Filter section.
This filter automatically blocks any abusive comments on your photos from any of the five languages. Additionally, you can turn the filter “on” and “off” as you please. You can also block particular words or phrases from appearing on your comment segment.
Still, on comment control, the feature allows users, both private and public, the ability to choose who can comment on their posts or not, including groups of people, or just about anyone.
6. Change password
A secure password is essential for all your online accounts, including Instagram. A strong password should contain at least six characters – a combination of numbers, letters in upper and lower case, and symbols. Do not share your password with any third party application or person. Always log out of your account whenever you are using other devices and make sure you do not check the “Remember Me” box. For added security, use a lock code on your phone to ensure no one can access your account in case you lose your phone.
7. Block followers you do not want
After creating a new Instagram account, most people start following people, even those unknown to them in a bid to get more followers. In turn, some of the people you follow may follow you back. However, after a while, these people may start making inappropriate comments on your post, and you may want to remove them from your follower’s list. You may also opt to exclude people who do not ever interact with your posts, and you feel are only lurking. Remember, even if your account is private, someone following you has full access to your posts. The only other option left is to block these people manually.
Steps:
• Go to your followers’ list
• Scroll down to the person you want to block and click on their name
• Click on the menu button on the top right corner
• Click on the block user option.
These are just some of the few Instagram safety tips available to you. It is crucial for Instagram users to use the available security options provided to them to protect their accounts from unauthorised persons.
