By Hina Talib, MD and Larry Magid, Ed.D.
Instagram’s algorithm, which ranks and recommends posts based on your past activity, tries to show you what it thinks you’ll like—but sometimes it misses the mark. If your feed feels overwhelming, repetitive or just not “you,” the good news is that you can control what you see. Here’s how:
Go to Settings.
When viewing your profile, tap three-line menu > Content preferences. Here, you set the tone of your feed. You can:
- Hide suggested posts with specific hashtags, words, phrases or emojis.
- Select how much political content you want to see (Less, Standard, More).
- Limit sensitive content that you may not want to see. (Teens may not see the option for more sensitive content.)
- Snooze suggested posts in feed for 30 days.
Use tools on individual posts and videos.
As you scroll through Instagram, you can control what suggested content you see by tapping the three dots (…) on any suggested post or Reel from accounts you don’t follow. Choose Interested or Not Interested to let Instagram know what you like.
Manage ads and sponsored posts.
Instagram is supported by advertisers, and while you can’t eliminate ads, you can influence the types of ads you see by adjusting your ad preferences. Go to Settings > Accounts Center > Ad preferences.
Manage who you follow and hear from.
Unfollowing accounts that no longer interest you can make a big difference to your feed. Not ready to unfollow a friend or creator? You can mute their posts and/or Stories. You still follow them, but you’re a lot less likely to see their content. Either way, the person will not be notified.
Play favorites.
You can add up to 50 accounts to your Favorites list so their posts appear higher in your feed. Go to the account’s profile and tap Following > Add to favorites. It’s a great way to make sure you hear from the people and accounts you care about most.
Mind your likes and searches.
Instagram tracks what topics you search for and what posts you like and suggests more of that type of content. If you want a more curated feed, be intentional with your searches and likes. Also, others may see which Reels you like, so keep that in mind.
Try the chronological view.
Want to see posts from only the accounts you follow, in the order they were posted? Tap the Instagram logo at the top left and switch to Following. No suggested posts, no algorithm—just a straight timeline of the accounts you follow. It is, of course, your choice, but sometimes this can result in a less interesting feed.
Reset your content suggestions.
Still not happy with the content Instagram is suggesting to you? Start fresh. Go to Settings > Content preferences > Reset suggested content to clear Instagram’s recommendations and rebuild your feed based on your activity going forward.
For more, see ConnectSafely’s Parent’s Guide to Instagram.
About the Authors
Dr. Hina Talib, MD, is a pediatrician and adolescent specialist who provides advice on supporting teens in the digital world. Dr. Larry Magid, Ed.D., is CEO and co-founder of ConnectSafely and a technology journalist. Meta provides financial support to ConnectSafely. ConnectSafely is solely responsible for the content of this guide.