Instagram is testing a new feature that allows users to completely delete all content recommended to them.
Its “reset” tool – which it says will be available globally “soon” – effectively cleans a user’s feed of content suggested by the site’s algorithm, although Instagram says the recommendations will “start again to personalize over time.
It comes as Instagram announced a series of new features aimed at improving the well-being of people on the platform, with safety features in October following the launch of new teen accounts in September.
Britain's media regulator Ofcom welcomed the announcement but said additional measures would be needed to make social media safer.
“It’s good to see Instagram making these changes before regulation begins to take hold, and we will push for companies to do more to protect and empower their users,” he said in a statement.
Tech companies have already been warned they will need to “make very significant changes” before the UK’s new Online Safety Act (OSA) comes into full force.
“When the UK's online safety laws come into full force, the biggest sites and apps will need to give people more control over what they see,” the Ofcom statement added.
Some activists believe that the OSA does not go far enough and that it will have to be strengthened or supplemented by other restrictions, for example on the use of mobile phones by young people.
There is also intense international debate over how to keep young people safe online, with Australia recently proposing to ban social media for under-16s.
Meta, which owns Instagram, says the new system will be accessible to everyone, including people with teen accounts, and will allow users to reset their recommendations “with just a few clicks.”
“We want to make sure everyone on Instagram – especially teens – has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and that they feel like the time they spend on Instagram is valuable,” Meta said in a blog post announcing this decision.
Users who want to refresh their feeds will be able to select “Reset Suggested Content” in their “Content Preferences” screen.
From there, they will be asked if they want to unfollow the accounts whose posts they are shown most often.
At this point, users can then reset their feeds.
People who use Instagram can already have some impact on what is recommended to them by telling the algorithm whether or not they are interested in the posts they see.
TikTok already has a similar feature, where users can reset their “For You” feed by following a few steps.
Instagram's move comes ahead of the implementation of the Online Safety Act in December, which will set a countdown for tech companies.
Companies like Meta will have three months to assess the risks of illegal content appearing online and must take steps to block it.
Separately, the regulator will finalize its codes of practice for child safety in April 2025, which are expected to include a requirement for companies to give children more control over what they see in their feeds on social media platforms .
