San Francisco, United States — Instagram has introduced a new AI-driven feature that lets users see and adjust the algorithm behind their Reels recommendations, marking what the company says is a major step toward greater user control.
The Meta-owned platform on Wednesday rolled out “Your Algorithm,” a tool accessible via an icon in the upper right corner of the Reels feed. The feature displays the topics Instagram believes interest each user, based on their viewing behaviour.
In a blog post, Meta said users can now directly indicate which subjects they want to see “more or less of,” with recommendations updating instantly.
The launch comes amid growing pressure from regulators and the public for transparency around how social media algorithms shape online experiences. Critics argue that opaque recommendation systems can create echo chambers or amplify harmful content, while tech companies have historically guarded their algorithms as proprietary assets.
“Instagram has always been a place to dive deep into your interests and connect with friends,” the company said in its blog. “As your interests evolve over time, we want to give you more meaningful ways to control what you see.”
The feature summarises a user’s top interests and also lets them type in specific topics to refine their feed further.
Instagram said it is “leading the way” in offering such visibility and intends to expand the tool to Explore and other sections of the app.
The feature launched Wednesday in the United States and will be rolled out globally in English “soon,” the company said.
The announcement came on the same day Australia implemented the world’s first ban preventing people under 16 from using several major social media apps, including Instagram. The government said the move was designed to “take back control” from tech giants and shield children from “predatory algorithms.”
