Instagram Announces New Ways to Reset Post Recommendations

Instagram is testing a new feature allowing users to reset content recommendations across Explore, Reels, and Feed. Instagram say that this update is part of their work to ensure safe, positive, and age-appropriate experiences on the platform.

The reset tool, which will be available globally soon, enables users to clear their personalised recommendations by selecting “reset suggested content” under “content preferences.” Suggested content is any content recommended to you by Instagram’s algorithms and is usually based on content you have previously engaged with. As part of the resetting tools, users will also be prompted to review accounts that they follow and will be provided with the option to unfollow any that share content they no longer want to see.
Although the reset tool will help to remove previous algorithm recommendations, Instagram has shared that over time, recommendations will eventually adjust based on the user’s engagement across the Platform. However, the new tool will help to ensure a fresh start on the platform.

This feature follows other recent updates by Meta that focus on online safety, including Instagram’s ‘Teen Accounts’ and protections against sextortion. These latest updates are designed to  encourage users to have greater control over their feeds, with options to prioritise topics like sports or hobbies.
The new reset tool comes after Meta published a new page called ‘Helping Teens See Age-Appropriate Content‘ in their Transparency Centre, which is meant to help ‘parents and teens better understand how this approach to content works’. The new update explains the different layers of protection and examples of the content Instagram and Facebook hides, removes and avoids recommending to accounts.

If you have experienced anything harmful online, you can access advice about how to report harmful content through SWGfL’s Report Harmful Content service.