File – The Instagram logo is seen on a cell phone in Boston, USA, Oct. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Instagram has started an automatic clampdown on the amount of political content appearing in its users’ feeds, but there is a relatively quick and easy way to turn off the controls if you don’t want to keep the limitations in place.
As part of an initiative Instagram announced last month, the popular social media service owned by Meta Platforms has stopped “proactively” recommending political content posted on accounts users don’t choose to follow. To do that, Instagram has automatically set the “political content” control to “limit” on user accounts.
The limits also affect users with Threads accounts tied to their Instagram accounts.
The change has triggered an uproar among users who feel that Instagram unnecessarily limits political discourse in a year when pivotal elections are being held in U.S. and other countries.
How to change your Instagram settings to allow political content
Here’s how to get around Instagram’s political curbs in just a few steps.
1. Open up the app on your smartphone. Then tap the three-dash menu at the top right.
2. Navigate to “settings and privacy,” then choose “content preferences,” then open the “Political content” menu.
3. Find and turn on the “Don’t limit” option.
Once that is done, you should once again start to see posts relating to government, elections and other political matters shared from accounts that you don’t follow flowing through your feed.
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