Instagram partners with schools to prioritize reports of online bullying and student safety

Instagram on Tuesday announced a new school partnership program aimed at expediting the handling of moderation reports submitted by verified school accounts.

The program is currently available to all middle and high schools in the U.S. It allows schools to report posts or student accounts that may violate the app’s guidelines directly to Instagram. These reports are then automatically prioritized for review, and schools are alerted to actions taken.

The company says the goal is to help educators report potential teen safety issues, including bullying, more directly.

Participating schools will feature a “school partner” banner on their profiles, indicating their involvement in the program. Additionally, Instagram will offer educational resources with tips for safely using the app to educators, parents, guardians, and students.

For the past year, Instagram has tested its new program with 60 schools and collaborated with the International Society for Technology in Education and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ISTE+ASCD) to create the program.

Other U.S. middle and high schools can sign up to join the program’s waitlist.

The new program comes as senators advance the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), which seeks to ban social media access for kids under 13. In February, the Senate Committee on Commerce approved the bill. The U.S. Senate has passed two related bills: the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Instagram has taken other steps focused on online safety. For instance, it launched teen accounts for users under the age of 16, which are set to private by default and have restrictions on messaging, alongside parental controls and other limitations.