The feature allows users to specify topics they want emphasized or reduced in their feeds and select how long those preferences remain active, with options lasting one, three, or seven days. A user, for example, can request more content related to baseball while limiting stressful news.
Instagram has also expanded its efforts to make recommendation systems more transparent. Earlier this month, the company launched “Your Algorithm” across its feed, Explore, and Reels surfaces. The tool was first introduced for Reels in December 2025 and now provides a broader view of the topics influencing recommendations throughout the app.
Available through Instagram’s settings, the feature shows users which subjects the platform believes are most relevant to them. Users can then adjust those interests by indicating which topics they want to see more or less often, allowing recommendations to adapt over time.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri has argued that recommendation systems have historically relied on technology that offered little visibility into why content was shown. He has said that large language models can help make those systems easier to understand by explaining recommendations and allowing users to communicate their preferences more directly.
TikTok has taken a similar approach with its “Manage Topics” feature, which gives users control over the types of content that appear in the “For You” feed. Introduced in 2024, the tool lets people adjust their exposure to categories including sports, travel, humor, current affairs, dance, and food through a series of preference sliders.
The platform also provides additional information about each category. Users can select an information button next to a topic to learn more about the content it covers. TikTok says the “Creative arts” category, for example, includes “painting, drawing, graphic design, and art-related tutorials.”
The company later expanded those controls by adding AI-powered Smart Keyword Filters in 2025. The feature automatically limits content containing related terms and synonyms. TikTok says that filtering a keyword such as “remodeling” will also reduce content associated with terms like “renovation” and “renovations.”
As social media platforms expand personalization tools, users are gaining more direct input into the recommendation systems that shape their feeds. Instead of relying solely on engagement signals such as likes, follows, and viewing behavior, platforms are increasingly allowing people to specify the topics and content they want to see.
This analysis is based on reporting from TechCrunch.
Images courtesy of Unsplash and Meta.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
