Meta is exploring a new Instagram feature that would allow users to remove themselves from others’ Close Friends lists, reflecting growing pressure on social platforms to give individuals greater control over digital relationships and social boundaries.
Meta Platforms has confirmed it is developing a new Instagram feature that could subtly but significantly reshape how users manage social connections on the platform. The proposed tool would allow users to remove themselves from another person’s Close Friends list, a control that has so far been unavailable.
The company said the feature is still in an early development phase and is not being tested publicly, meaning there is no certainty it will be rolled out. Even so, its existence underscores increasing scrutiny on how social media platforms handle consent, privacy, and interpersonal boundaries online.
Rethinking control in Close Friends
Instagram introduced Close Friends in 2018 to enable more private sharing of Stories, Reels, and posts with a select audience. While widely adopted, the feature has always placed control entirely with the content creator. Once added to someone’s Close Friends list, users have had no official way to opt out.
That imbalance may now be under review. The internal prototype, first identified by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, suggests users would be shown a clear warning before exiting a Close Friends list, explaining that access would be revoked unless they are added again. This explicit framing signals a deliberate design choice aimed at transparency rather than silent disengagement.
While such clarity could discourage casual use of the feature, it also reduces confusion and mismatched expectations. For many users, being included in a Close Friends list can feel uncomfortable, particularly in professional or loosely social settings where intimacy is not assumed.
Social dynamics and platform trends
The social implications remain complex. Close Friends is often perceived as a marker of trust, and opting out could risk awkwardness or misunderstanding. At the same time, comparable platforms such as Snapchat already allow users to leave private story groups, making Instagram’s current limitation appear increasingly outdated.
The feature also aligns with a broader wave of experimentation at Meta. The company has indicated plans to test new subscription models across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, potentially offering advanced sharing controls, audience management tools, and enhanced privacy options.
Although Meta has not confirmed which ideas will reach users, these initiatives point to a strategic shift. By exploring both opt-out features and premium customisation tools, Instagram appears to be reassessing how much control users expect over their digital interactions—and how those controls should be delivered.
Whether or not the Close Friends opt-out launches publicly, it reflects a growing recognition that social media relationships are not one-size-fits-all, and that user agency is becoming central to platform design.
