Instagram Is Starting to Censor 'Sensitive' Content in Your Feed

While you're busy looking at stunning photos of lobster rolls, jealously-inducing vacation shots, and beautiful professional photography on Instagram, the site's moderators are constantly working behind the scenes to keep offensive content from reaching your eyes. Now, the app is taking its efforts to the next level by obscuring some images with a blurred overlay before you can view them

Instagram announced late last week that it's about to start adding a blurred "warning screen" to images and videos that contain what it describes as "sensitive" content. The posts will still appear in your feed and on profiles, but you'll have to tap a button (yes, another tap) to remove the blurred overlay before you can actually see the images. Specifically, the warning reads, "This photo contains sensitive content which some users may find offensive or disturbing."

Here's how it works: Instagram will add a warning screen to an image if the company's moderators confirm user reports that it's "sensitive," but at the same time don't deem it worthy of removal under the community guidelines. Although Instagram didn't specifically explain what it considers as "sensitive," the company said examples include graphic photos of animal testing conditions posted by an animal rights group or images and videos depicting the disturbing humanitarian crises around the world from philanthropic organizations. However, the warnings don't change what you're allowed to post on Instagram and the photo app's rules for nudity and sensitive content remain the same.

"This change means you are less likely to have surprising or unwanted experiences in the app," Instagram said in a press release. "If you’d like to see a post that is covered with a screen, simply tap to reveal the photo or video."

Interestingly, the change likely won't affect how posts showing a nude model's butt or other permissible nudity in paintings, art, etc. are displayed, so don't worry about all those edgy nude photography accounts you follow. Instagram said that while close-ups of fully-nude butts are against the rules, it would not add the warning screen to non-close-ups of fully-nude butts. Alrighty then. 

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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and really hopes his followers don't report his excessive food photos as "sensitive" out of annoyance. Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.