Earlier this week, Instagram Threads rolled out what it described as its most-requested feature so far: direct messages (DMs). But instead of widespread applause, the update has sparked a wave of criticism—particularly from women—who say there should be an option to opt out of DMs completely due to concerns about harassment.
While most major social platforms, including X, Bluesky, and Mastodon, already offer DMs, some Threads users actually liked that this feature was absent. For them, not having private messages created a different, more comfortable environment.
Comments like these were common in response to Threads’ announcement, which Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared directly on the platform. Across dozens of replies, users complained that they didn’t ask for DMs and pointed to a poll with thousands of votes where the majority said they’d rather the feature never be added. Many asked if there was any way to disable it entirely. (Currently, there isn’t.)
Concerns extend beyond harassment. Some users worry about an influx of spam, bots, and unsolicited messages now that DMs exist.
As of now, Threads’ system requires that you follow someone for them to be able to message you. If you want to stop someone from reaching your inbox, you can simply unfollow them. For more persistent issues, you have the option to block the user, which also blocks them across Instagram.
To be fair, complaints about new features often get amplified because unhappy users are more likely to voice their frustrations—similar to how negative reviews dominate Google Maps and Yelp. Still, critics of DMs on Threads raise an important point:
When a platform has already established a particular culture, introducing private messaging can disrupt how people prefer to engage. Many joined Threads because it felt open but less invasive—more about public conversation than private contact. Without any way to turn DMs off, some users feel like they’ve lost control over how they experience the app.
Meta likely assumed tying DMs to your follow list would give people a sense of safety, since only those you follow can reach out. But that logic overlooks something fundamental about how people use social media: sometimes you follow accounts simply to keep up with their posts, not because you want to start private conversations.
For now, Threads users are left with two options if DMs become a problem—unfollow or block—while they wait to see whether Meta introduces more nuanced controls in the future.
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