More friends, less politics: changes on Instagram and Facebook to reduce political messages and protect teens
Eva Deschamps / October 11, 2021
Change is afoot on Facebook and Instagram. After the damning testimony of a whistleblower on the harmful effects of Instagram on teenagers, Facebook seems to want to make up for it. The company's spokesman, Nick Clegg, announced on the American channel NBC of the change for Facebook and Instagram.
Instagram's algorithm is going to be changed for teens when they watch content that is potentially dangerous to their mental health. They will be replaced with different contus and parental controls will be strengthened. We're going to introduce new controls for adults of teens on an optional basis, obviously, so that adults can supervise what their teens are doing online, the Facebook official explained. It is not yet known when these changes will be implemented.
According to Nick Clegg, the Facebook algorithm will also be changed. The News Feed will have to show more content from friends and less political posts. He said that this measure stemmed from user feedback that they wanted more friends, less politics.