Instagram Will Let Users Reset Their Content Recommendations

Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram will let some users reset their content recommendations, essentially restarting the algorithm that determines what types of posts and videos they see in their feed. 

The change, which is just a test but will soon roll out globally, is designed to give people more control if they find the content in their Instagram feed no longer matches their interests. Earlier this year, Instagram announced new privacy controls that let teen users choose the topics they want to see more regularly, such as books, travel, cooking or sports. Instagram already allows people to share whether they are interested in videos that are recommended to them, and takes into account other signals, like whether a person likes or shares a post, to help decide what to show them.

Resetting the recommendation algorithm will also give users a chance to review the accounts they follow in case they wish to drop people. “We want to make sure everyone on Instagram — especially teens — has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and feels the time they’re spending on Instagram is valuable,” Meta wrote Tuesday in a blog post. “We want to give teens new ways to shape their Instagram experience, so it can continue to reflect their passions and interests as they evolve.”

Meta has been recommending more content related to entertainment on Instagram, moving away from news and politics, as it seeks to increase the amount of time young people spend on its apps and avoid confrontational posts. The company has also been recommending more content from strangers, or people that users don’t already follow, as it tries to compete with ByteDance Ltd.-owned TikTok.

TikTok’s algorithm, which is credited for the app’s swift rise, is known for its ability to help people go “viral” by recommending their content to people that don’t already follow them. More than one billion people worldwide use TikTok, many of them teenagers who spend hours each day watching video content. Last year, TikTok also introduced a feature to let users reset their video feeds, along with an update that showed teens less potentially harmful content, such as videos related to sadness, extreme dieting or sexually suggestive topics.   

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