Meta has discontinued end-to-end encrypted direct messaging on Instagram, bringing an end to a feature that had been introduced as part of the company’s broader push towards private communication.

The company has informed users with existing encrypted chats through in-app notifications, advising them to save important messages, images and other media before the feature is fully removed.

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) ensures that only the sender and recipient can read messages. With the feature now withdrawn from Instagram, Meta will retain the ability to access message content, including photos, videos and voice notes, where necessary.

Instagram will continue to use standard encryption, which secures data while it is transmitted between devices and servers but still allows the platform to access content under certain circumstances.

Meta had previously promoted private messaging as “the future of communication” and had spent several years expanding encryption tools across its platforms, including Facebook Messenger. While Facebook Messenger eventually adopted default end-to-end encryption, Instagram’s version remained optional and saw limited use.

According to multiple reports, the company decided to discontinue the feature because relatively few users actively enabled encrypted chats on Instagram.

Privacy advocates, however, argued that optional security tools often struggle with adoption because users are required to manually activate them.

The rollback has been welcomed by some child protection organisations, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which has previously argued that encrypted messaging can make it more difficult to detect online abuse and harmful activity involving children.

The development comes amid growing scrutiny of social media platforms and their impact on younger users. A recent study involving more than 8,000 children aged between 10 and 14 found that spending more than 30 minutes daily on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat may contribute to a gradual decline in concentration levels over time.

With IANS inputs

Instagram has reportedly removed millions of bot and inactive accounts in a major platform-wide cleanup drive in 2026, triggering sharp drops in follower counts for celebrities, influencers and brands across social media.

According to reports circulated by PopBase, several high-profile personalities witnessed sudden declines in their follower numbers after the purge. Among the most affected was Kylie Jenner, who reportedly lost more than 14 million followers following the cleanup exercise.

Several other creators, influencers and public figures also saw significant overnight drops in followers and engagement figures as the platform removed fake, automated and inactive profiles.

The large-scale action quickly sparked reactions online, with users dubbing it the “Great Purge of 2026”.

Users across social media platforms shared screenshots showing steep declines in follower counts, while some joked that even major verified accounts were not spared.

One user on X claimed that Instagram’s own official account had reportedly lost nearly 9 million followers during the purge.

“Even Instagram's own official account reportedly lost over 9 million followers during the cleanup. Nobody was safe,” the user wrote.

Instagram routinely conducts such cleanups to improve authenticity and reduce fake engagement on the platform. Bot accounts are often used to artificially inflate likes, comments, followers and engagement metrics for influencers, brands and content creators.

Responding to the reports, Meta said the cleanup was part of its regular efforts to remove inactive accounts and maintain platform integrity.

A spokesperson for Meta clarified that active users and genuine followers were not affected by the process.

“As part of our routine process to remove inactive accounts, some Instagram accounts may have noticed updates to their follower counts. Active followers remain unaffected, and any restored suspended account will be included in the count again after verification,” the spokesperson said.

The reported purge has once again reignited conversations around fake engagement, purchased followers and the pressure on influencers and brands to maintain large social media audiences.

With IANS inputs