- Meta has good news for Instagram users unhappy with their recommendations algorithm.
- The company is testing giving users the ability to wipe the slate clean and get new recommended content.
- Meta is gearing the feature toward teens but it'll soon roll out globally to all users.
Sick of the recommended content in your Instagram feed? Meta is testing a feature that'll let you reset your algorithm with a clean slate.
The company is experimenting with letting users clear out their recommendations on Instagram across Explore, Reels, and Feed for a "fresh start," it said in a blog post Tuesday.
The feature will "soon roll out globally," Meta said.
If you decide to reset your recommendation algorithm, your recommendations will fine-tune over time based on what you interact with, as usual, and you'll also be able to review the accounts you follow to unfollow any whose content you don't want to see anymore.
The new recommendations will adapt over time in response to your behavior on Instagram, as they would in any other case.
Meta
Resetting your recommendations can't be undone though, the company notes.
Meta positioned the feature toward its teen users in its blog post, though it isn't age-specific.
"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," the company said in the blog post. "In addition to providing built-in protections from sensitive content with Teen Accounts, 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."
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri talked about the upcoming feature in a video post.
"It's going to make your Instagram much less interesting at first, because we're going to treat you as if we know nothing about you and your interests and it'll take us some time to learn those again," he said. "So it's not something I recommend doing all the time, but if you do end up in a place where you really don't feel great about your experience, this gives you an out."
TikTok similarly began rolling out the ability to refresh recommendations in its For You feed last year.
Meta recently began designating users under 18 "teen accounts" by default. This comes with more restrictive settings on who can message them or comment on their posts, as well as what sensitive content is recommended for them in Reels and Explore.
Instagram is the most-used app among US teens, according to investment bank Piper Sandler's latest survey.