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Instagram to Blur Nude Images to Protect Teen Users

The move is part of a wider push by the platform to regulate the kinds of content minors interact with.

Instagram will roll out new protections to keep its underage users safe from “sextortion and intimate image abuse,” Meta announced Thursday. Its nudity protection feature, which will be activated by default for users under 18, will blur direct message images that include nudity and hide them beneath a warning screen, so that users can decide whether or not to view them. It will also include pop-ups reminding users to be cautious when sending intimate photos and that they shouldn’t feel pressured to respond, with options to block the sender and report the chat. The move is an attempt to crack down on financial “sextortion,” Meta said, or the abuse of people’s nudes by scammers. The protections are part of a wider push by the social media giant to regulate content for minors by limiting the kind of posts they can interact with. Earlier, it restricted teen accounts from viewing content related to graphic violence, self-harm, and eating disorders.