Instagram launches major new feature and new updates

Users of a popular social media app have logged on to find a major change that will help them to set boundaries with friends.

One of the most popular social media apps has launched a major new feature in an attempt to help users manage their time online.

On Friday, Instagram launched “quiet mode”, a setting on the app that hides notifications for a period of time chosen by the user.

The new notification development has been put in place to allow people to “set healthy boundaries” with their friends online, silencing messages, likes, follows and other notifications.

“Today, we’re launching ‘quiet mode’ to help people focus and to encourage people to set boundaries with friends and followers,” Instagram announced.

“Once enabled, you won’t receive any notifications, your profile’s activity status will change to ‘in quiet mode’ and we’ll automatically send an auto-reply when someone DMs you.”

Instagram has launched ‘quiet mode’ to help people manage their time on the app. Picture: Supplied

Users can set their quiet mode time themselves, and if someone sends them a message during that time, the sender will receive a notification that the other person is in quiet mode and won’t receive a notification.

Instagram said they’d been told by teens they felt the need to be available all the time, so the app will now prompt their younger users to activate quiet mode after spending a certain amount of time on the app at night.

Along with the new silence setting, Instagram is allowing users to tailor their experiences on the app with a new setting that enables them to hide recommended posts that include certain words, emojis or hashtags in the caption.

Users can select words or phrases they no longer wish to see posts of. Picture: Supplied

Previously, the tool was used to exclude comments and messages that contained words deemed inappropriate by the user, but it will now extend to posts that pop up on their feed as well.

Users now also have the option to select a “not interested” option on suggested posts, and the app will avoid showing similar content.

They can also select a ‘not interested’ feature. Picture: Supplied

Parents can sleep easier at night, with new parental controls allowing them to view their child’s Instagram settings – including privacy and content defaults.

They will also now receive notifications when their child updates a setting or blocks a user.

Instagram said the new features complement the existing tools already in place and reflect their “ongoing work to build things that are meaningful for young people”.

Quiet mode will be available to everyone in Australia and New Zealand, the US, UK, Ireland and Canada on Friday, and Instagram hopes to bring it to more countries soon.

Originally published as Instagram launches major new feature and new updates