Instagram has announced some changes in effort to keep minors safe by no longer allowing adult users to message minors who aren't following them. If an adult attempts to send a message to a minor who isn't following them, they'll receive a notification that says sending the DM isn't an option.
The company made the announcement on Tuesday with a few other updates:
There will also be notifications for users between ages 13 and 18 advising them to "to be careful sharing photos, videos, or information with someone you don't know." There will also be notifications whenever they interact with an adult who "has been exhibiting potentially suspicious behavior."
Per Instagram’s blog post:
For example, if an adult is sending a large amount of friend or message requests to people under 18, we’ll use this tool to alert the recipients within their DMs and give them an option to end the conversation, or block, report, or restrict the adult. People will start seeing these in some countries this month, and we hope to have them available everywhere soon.