--- description: Instagram will soon allow users to filter the comments they see on their posts—or turn comments off entirely title: Instagram’s Newest Feature Aims to Fight Online Harassment image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb01193850e3daa3/6988a074e20a872280a91db2/gettyimages-540936038.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Instagram’s Newest Feature Aims to Fight Online Harassment by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 29, 2016 8:28 PM CUT  Facebook Inc.'s Instagram logo is displayed on the Instagram application on an Apple Inc. iPhone in this arranged photograph taken in Washington, D.C., U.S., on June 17. Facebook Inc.'s Instagram logo is displayed on the Instagram application on an Apple Inc. iPhone in this arranged photograph taken in Washington, D.C., U.S., on June 17.Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Rosalie Chan](/author/rosalie-chan/) ## Rosalie Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 29, 2016 8:28 PM CUT Instagram will soon allow users to filter the comments they see on their posts—or turn comments off entirely—as a way of reducing online harassment. High-profile accounts will be the first have access to the new feature, so that they can give Instagram feedback, and in the coming weeks it will roll out to all users, the [Washington _Post_ reports](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/07/29/instagram-will-soon-let-you-filter-comments-on-your-own-account/ "undefined"). [Instagram](http://time.com/4375747/instagram-500-million-users/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") will also let users switch off comments on a post-by-post basis. Some have accused social media sites of not doing enough to prevent online harassment. Recently, _Ghostbusters_ star [Leslie Jones](http://time.com/4418931/leslie-jones-twitter-harassment-seth-meyers/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined") left Twitter after she was [attacked with racist comments](http://time.com/4412232/leslie-jones-ghostbusters-tweets/?iid=sr-link2 "undefined"), and she called out Twitter for not enforcing guidelines on preventing online harassment. In response, Twitter suspended the account of right-wing writer [Milo Yiannopoulos](http://time.com/4414400/milo-yiannopolous-twitter-abuse/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined"), who reportedly spearheaded the coordinated attack. Since then, Jones has [returned to Twitter](http://time.com/4418348/leslie-jones-twitter-return/?iid=sr-link6 "undefined"), and Twitter CEO [Jack Dorsey](http://time.com/4425667/jack-dorsey-twitter-leslie-jones/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") admitted that Twitter has not “been good enough” at handling online harassment. \[[_Washington Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/07/29/instagram-will-soon-let-you-filter-comments-on-your-own-account/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4431409/instagram-comments-online-harassment/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4431409/instagram-comments-online-harassment/"},"headline":"Instagram’s Newest Feature Aims to Fight Online Harassment","datePublished":"2016-07-29T20:28:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:34:56.517Z","description":"It's a new kind of filter","url":"https://time.com/4431409/instagram-comments-online-harassment/","keywords":["Tech","Newsfeed","Social Media","apps","Companies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb01193850e3daa3/6988a074e20a872280a91db2/gettyimages-540936038.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rosalie Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rosalie-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteb01193850e3daa3/6988a074e20a872280a91db2/gettyimages-540936038.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Illustrations Of Facebook Inc.'s Instagram As App Changes Its Look","caption":"Illustrations Of Facebook Inc.'s Instagram As App Changes Its Look","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4431409/instagram-comments-online-harassment/","name":"Instagram’s Newest Feature Aims to Fight Online Harassment"}}]}] ```