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Instagram apologises for promoting 'eating disorder' phrases

WION Web Team
New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Apr 15, 2021, 06:27 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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Instagram has now removed all those harmful terms from the platform and has apologised for the damage caused

At a time when people are trying to be more considerate about each other’s traumas and feelings, Instagram has had a major error, leading to several users feeling "triggered."

The search function in the social media app had automatically started recommending terms such as "fasting", "appetite suppressants" and such terms to some people.

People suffering from eating disorder felt triggered due to these suggestions and some even felt they might relapse.

Instagram has now removed all those harmful terms from the platform and has apologised for the damage caused. The company has termed it as a “mistake” which has been resolved, a spokesperson said.

"We recently rolled out a new search functionality on Instagram beyond hashtags and usernames, to help you more easily discover and explore content you’re most interested in," a spokesperson for Facebook, owner of Instagram, said.

"As part of this new feature, when you tap on the search bar, we’ll suggest topics you may want to search for," he added. "Those suggestions, as well as the search results themselves, are limited to general interests, and weight loss should not have been one of them."