Instagram is going hard against creeps and spammers trying to slide into your DMs. Now, people you do not follow will only be able to send one message, and they can only send more messages if you accept their DM request. This message can now only contain text, meaning that senders cannot send photos, videos, or voice messages.

With these new restrictions in place, strangers will not repeatedly message you or send unsolicited pictures, which Instagram says has been an issue with the women on the platform, as they often received unsolicited pictures in their direct messages.
Cindy Southworth, who oversees Women’s Safety at Meta, said in a statement that they aim to provide a sense of confidence and control to individuals while accessing their inboxes. Therefore, they are experimenting with new features that restrict receiving images, videos, and multiple messages from unknown individuals until the message request has been accepted.

Before, Instagram allowed users to send countless messages to anyone even if they did not follow them or accept their message requests, which could become overwhelming. Now, it has limited it to one message until the request is accepted, which means users should not be bombarded with spam.
Users can check the message requests through the button named the same in the DM tab to see any new message requests. However, note that this only applies if your privacy settings require connection requests to message you, else this will not apply to your inbox.
Aside from the new messaging restrictions, other features intend to safeguard users from spam and offensive messages. The “Hidden Words” filters abusive DM requests, “Limits” is to avoid sudden spikes in unwanted comments, and as the name implies, “Restrict” can be used to discreetly restrict users without blocking them.
Instagram is also rolling out updated parental controls, which introduces safeguard for messaging, parents can see how many friends their kids have in common with their followers or someone they are following, and a notification for teens if they are browsing Reels late at night