Meta’s Instagram, unlike other messaging applications, is predominantly used for visual content sharing— photos, short videos (Reels), and daily updates (Stories). Its users also utilise the app to build personal and corporate brands, for social networking, and online marketing.
Instagram now allows published photos, videos, or reels from public accounts to be recreated by other users in features like remix, sequence, templates, and stickers. The New York Times reports that every adult with a public account was automatically introduced to the feature, which allows users to use Meta’s Artificial Intelligence features to generate new images using other people’s media content.
This means that when a user toggles on the posts or reels under the sharing and reuse feature, it allows anyone to create and exploit all or part of their content (posts and reels) in remixes, sequences, templates, or stickers using Meta’s AI features.
Instagram users can also download that content as part of their post or reel and save and use any sticker on it in their reel or story. But you, the owner of that content, cannot download what others created using your reel, feed video, or stories.
Furthermore, depending on public settings, a user’s reused content can be discoverable in search engine results. If a public account reuses your content for remixes, sequences, stickers, and templates, you will receive a notification. However, you will not be notified about content created using Meta’s AI features.
However, you control this in your privacy settings. Here is how to do that:
- Set your account to private
By switching your account to private, only your followers will be able to view your photos and videos. No one will be able to reuse your content. If your content was used in a reel, post, or story via remixes, sequences, templates, or stickers, such a reel, post, or story will be deleted.
To switch your account, go to your profile, click the three-line icon (⇶) in the top-right corner, select Account privacy under Settings and activity, toggle on Private account, then tap Switch to private.
However, if you switch back to a public account within 24 hours, your content will be restored.
Photo collage of how to switch your account to private if you do not want your content reused.
- If you are under 18
If you own a public account and are under 18, you can further restrict who can reuse your content by audience: everyone, people you follow, or no one.
The default setting on Instagram is people you follow, and this can be changed in account settings.
- Toggle off the reuse button
You can manually disable the reuse button to prevent other users from creating or reusing your posts or reels. You can do this by going to your profile page on Instagram and selecting the three-line icon (⇶) in the top-right corner.
After clicking, scroll down and select sharing and reuse. Under the ‘Create with and reuse content’, toggle off posts and reels.
If you turn off the reuse button, only reels, posts, or stories that used part of your content before you changed your settings will remain on Instagram, unless you delete the original content.
However, content created by others using Meta AI features will not be deleted.
- Control reuse for individual photos, videos, or reels
You can also control the reuse of individual photos, videos, or reels by selecting your profile in the bottom right. Select the reel or photo you want to manage, then tap the three dots (…) option at the top right. Select the Turn off reuse, then tap Turn off to confirm.
No one will be able to create new reels, posts, or stories with the video or photo. However, existing reels, posts, or stories that used your content on Instagram would not be affected unless you delete the video or photo.
- Enable templates for videos made on Edits
Although this feature is not available to everyone, you can create a video on Edits and share it on Instagram as a template. With templates, people can create a reel using your music, clip duration, and other elements. While they set your reel as a template, they will use their own clip and photos instead of using yours, and can add or edit other elements to make it their own.
Your templates may appear on Edits or Instagram and will show your username. Your username will also appear on any reel created from your templates. To create your own template for videos made in Edits, you must have a public account and have reuse turned on at the account level.