Instagram, Threads restrict political content for users

Does seeing unsolicited political content on social media bother you?

Instagram and Threads are no longer recommending political content to users of the social media platforms — but some users have been reposting directions showing how to reverse the new feature.

Meta rolled out the restriction in early February through a blog post, letting users know that if they still want political-oriented posts recommended to them, it’s in their control.

“If you decide to follow accounts that post political content, we don’t want to get between you and their posts, but we also don’t want to proactively recommend political content from accounts you don’t follow,” the release said.

The update applies to public accounts and in places where content is recommended — like Explore, Reels, In-Feed Recommendations and Suggested Users, Meta said.

However, it doesn’t change how content is shown from accounts a user follows.

“If political content – potentially related to things like laws, elections, or social topics – is posted by an account that is not eligible to be recommended, that account’s content can still reach their followers in Feed and Stories,” Meta said.

Users with professional accounts on Instagram can check their eligibility to be recommended based on whether they posted political content recently, according to Meta, which can be found under “Account Status.”

They can then edit or remove recent posts, request a review if they disagree with Meta’s decision or stop posting that type of content “for a period of time” to be eligible for recommendations again.

The new feature has caused an “uproar” among some users, as reported by the Associated Press, as they feel Instagram is unnecessarily limiting political discourse during a pivotal election year.

“This is not okay,” civil rights attorney Scott Hechinger posted on the social media platform X, as reported by TIME Magazine.

“Instagram is now trying to suppress political content just months before the next presidential election. Why is Meta attempting to censor the democratic process?” Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said.

This isn’t the first time political content has been restricted on Meta’s platforms.

In 2021, political content in Facebook’s News Feed was reduced and refined as a test on the platform after CEO Mark Zuckerberg mentioned on an earnings call that a common piece of feedback is that users don’t want political content taking over their feeds.

The changes were implemented globally in 2022 after Meta saw success with the tests.

Facebook still aims to avoid making political-based recommendations, as per a February release this year.

Meta’s definition of political content is vague, TIME reported.

“Informed by research, our definition of political content is content likely to be about topics related to government or elections; for example, posts about laws, elections, or social topics. These global issues are complex and dynamic, which means this definition will evolve as we continue to engage with the people and communities who use our platforms and external experts to refine our approach,” a Meta spokesperson told CNN.

How can you make sure your account still recommends political content to you?

Users can go to “content preferences” in settings and privacy and click on “Political content” to toggle between two options: limit or don’t limit political content from people you don’t follow.