Instagram will soon let you turn off comments and boot followers from private accounts

With images as its main form of social currency, Instagram’s problems with abuse have never been quite as visible as those of other social networks. Nevertheless, the Facebook-owned company has been pretty quick to roll out new tools that make its app — in the words of CEO Kevin Systrom — “a safe place for self-expression.” (Twitter, take note.) The latest announced update will introduce the ability for users to turn off comments on specific posts, like others’ comments, and remove followers from private accounts. All of these will be made available over the “coming weeks.”

Like the ability to filter out abusive words, some of these tools have already been available to high-profile users, but are now being rolled out to the general public. In addition to these new features, the app will also let users anonymously report posts that involve or suggest self-harm. “If you believe that someone you care about may be thinking about injuring themselves, you can report it anonymously, and we will connect your friend to organizations that offer help,” writes Systrom in a blog post. It’s an admirable tool that will hopefully let users look out for one another, and one that would surely be welcome on other social networks.