Instagram launched a number of efforts in the past meant to combat any form of online bullying, such as an artificial intelligence-powered tool it unveiled last year to detect offensive comments and warn users before they post something hurtful. Today, the service introduced new features designed to advance its anti-cyberbullying initiatives and encourage positive interactions.
First off, the company says it will soon test a new tool that will allow you to highlight positive comments. According to Instagram, this feature will help people "set the tone for their account and engage with their community by pinning a select number of comments to the top of their comments thread". In addition to pinned comments, you can now remove unwanted comments at once. After testing this capability, Instagram says you can now delete up to 25 comments in bulk. On iOS, simply tap on a comment and then the dotted icon in the top right corner before choosing comments to remove. In addition, you can block multiple accounts at once by tapping "More Options". This feature is available on Android as well by pressing and holding on a comment, tapping the dotted icon, and choosing Block or Restrict.
Finally, you can now choose who can mention or tag you in a comment, caption, or Story. There are three different conditions for allowing @mentions: everyone, only people you follow, or no one. You can adjust tag settings by heading over to Interactions > Tags.
