Sextortion is a rising global threat, where financially motivated criminals target vulnerable groups, especially teens and young adults, by threatening to expose their intimate images unless they meet the scammer’s demands. In response, Instagram, part of Meta, has announced a series of new safety features aimed at protecting users from these malicious actors, further enhancing its efforts to disrupt sextortion schemes across its platforms.
Strengthening Sextortion Defenses
Meta is taking a firm stand with a variety of new safety features designed to make it more difficult for sextortion criminals to exploit Instagram’s social features. By adding another layer of protection, they aim to ensure that accounts exhibiting scam-like behaviour will struggle to interact with vulnerable users, particularly teenagers.
One major update will restrict suspicious accounts from requesting to follow teens. Instagram will now assess accounts based on specific signals—such as how new an account is or whether it shows signs of scammy behaviour. If these signals are strong enough, the app will either block the follow request entirely or redirect it to the teen’s spam folder, ensuring a first line of defence.
Further restrictions target one of the common tactics sextortionists use: blackmailing users by accessing their followers and following lists. To curtail this, accounts flagged as potentially scammy will no longer be able to view followers or following lists, removing a key tool from the sextortionist’s arsenal. Additionally, they will lose the ability to see posts that others have liked, photos users have been tagged in, or the accounts tagged in others’ photos.
Screenshot Protection for Sensitive Media
In an important step to protect privacy, Instagram is also making changes to how images and videos sent via Direct Messages (DMs) are handled. Soon, users will no longer be able to take screenshots or screen recordings of ephemeral images and videos sent using the ‘view once’ or ‘allow replay’ feature without the sender’s consent. This change will prevent predators from capturing sensitive content without permission. Moreover, the platform is restricting access to these images and videos on Instagram’s web version to prevent users from bypassing screenshot protections.
Smarter Detection and Removal of Sextortion Accounts
Instagram’s fight against sextortion extends beyond user interface changes. The platform is leveraging advanced technology to detect and eliminate scammers. By analysing patterns across sextortion attempts—such as similarities in scammers’ profiles—Instagram is training its systems to quickly identify and act against both new and returning sextortion accounts. These insights are also being shared with the Tech Coalition’s Lantern program, allowing other platforms to benefit from these discoveries in their own fight against sextortion criminals.
In a significant victory, Meta recently removed 1,600 Facebook Groups and accounts linked to a criminal organisation known as “Yahoo Boys”, known for their involvement in sextortion activities. This effort builds on the earlier removal of 7,200 Facebook assets in July. Meta has reiterated its commitment to identifying and removing these accounts as quickly as possible under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy, which bars their presence across its platforms.
The Global Rollout of Nudity Protection
A major milestone in Instagram’s protection strategy is the global rollout of its nudity protection feature in DMs. This feature, first tested in April, is now available worldwide. It will automatically blur any images detected as containing nudity when sent or received in DMs. Teenagers under 18 will have this feature enabled by default, providing them with a safeguard against unsolicited explicit content.
In addition to blurring sensitive images, the feature will also educate users on the risks of sending intimate photos. Meta has collaborated with child safety expert Larry Magid at ConnectSafely to develop a video for parents, now available in the Meta Family Center’s “Stop Sextortion” page, explaining how the nudity protection feature works and how parents can support their children in staying safe online.
Expanding Teen Protection with Instagram Teen Accounts
To further safeguard teens, Instagram has expanded its protections through Teen Accounts, which come with built-in settings that restrict who can contact teens, what content they can see, and how much time they spend on the platform. Teens under 16 are required to get parental permission to adjust any of these settings. By January, Instagram will globally enforce stricter message settings, ensuring teens under 18 cannot be messaged by people they do not follow. These settings will be introduced in the European Union later this year before rolling out to the rest of the world.
A New Campaign to Educate Teens and Parents
Alongside these technical measures, Meta is launching an educational campaign to raise awareness of sextortion scams. In collaboration with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Thorn, Meta has produced a video to help teens recognise the warning signs of sextortion attempts, including overly aggressive behaviour, requests to exchange images, or suggestions to move the conversation to another app.
This video will be shown directly to millions of teens and young adults in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, all of which have been hotspots for sextortion scams. By educating young people and their parents, Meta hopes to empower its community to spot red flags before they fall victim to these criminals.
A Continued Commitment to Safety
Instagram’s comprehensive approach to tackling sextortion—combining technological advancements, user education, and aggressive action against scammers—marks a pivotal step in making the platform safer for everyone. As part of its broader mission, Meta remains dedicated to protecting teens, their families, and all Instagram users from these heinous crimes, ensuring they can use the platform with confidence.
