Instagram launches Unlabel India to promote safer internet

Instagram in partnership with Yuvaa launches a campaign to nurture a safe and supportive community online.

Unlabel India, an initiative by Instagram aims to inspire conversations among youth all across India and initiate positive online dialogue.

Instagram intends to bring people closer to the people and things they love and that's only possible when they feel safe online. The app has associated with Yuvaa to initiate the campaign in a phased manner. The first phase will begin with a roadshow to 20 cities in 50 colleges, where young Indians will be encouraged to speak up on issues such as mental health, bullying, safe spaces, and gender sensitivity. They will also be given guidance on it. The next phase will be about having a sustained engagement with the colleges through ‘kindness clubs’, ‘kindness ambassadors’ and targeted digital campaigns.

Tara Bedi, Public Policy and Community Outreach Manager at Instagram, while speaking about the campaign mentioned, “Instagram is a place for safe self-expression and the safety and well-being of our community is our top priority. With ‘Unlabel India’, we’re hoping to lead a countrywide conversation with students and spark a movement of kindness, empathy, and respect, that is core to our platform and percolates to the entire community.”

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From Chandigarh to Chennai, Pune to Guwahati, the roadshow will go to all parts of the country starting February and aims to reach half a million people via online and offline engagements by the end of the year. Nikhil Taneja, Co-founder, and CEO of Yuvaa, comments, “There’s more that brings people together than tears them apart. We aim to have critical conversations with today’s Gen Z, on topics that usually don’t get discussed like loneliness and body shaming, in an environment that is safe, diverse and inclusive. We’re proud to have partnered with Instagram on this journey, as it’s the first place where a new generation of young people express themselves. Together we hope to ‘Unlabel’ the stereotypes that constrain today’s youth.”

The campaign builds over the ‘Unlabel’ content series that was launched last year by Instagram and Yuvaa. In 2020, the ‘Unlabel India’ campaign carries forward the same objective, but in the form of a scaled program that aims to positively impact the well-being of India’s Instagram community.

The app has also recently launched the ‘Restrict’ feature to prevent unwanted interactions and started asking for date of birth when creating an account, to build a safer experience for the youngest members of our community.