Meta Adds “Your Algorithm” Controls for U.S. Instagram Reels

Meta has begun deploying a new set of manual controls for Instagram’s Reels feed, giving users in the United States the ability to directly influence the algorithm that shapes their video recommendations. The feature, called “Your Algorithm,” represents a significant shift toward user-led personalisation in a part of the app that has long been dominated by automated AI-driven suggestions.

The new tool appears as a small icon in the top right corner of the Reels tab. When tapped, it opens a personalised dashboard that shows the topics Instagram’s AI believes a user is interested in, based on recent behaviour such as likes, viewing time, and shares. From there, people can add or remove topics and see examples of the kinds of videos that fall under each category. Changes take effect in real time, allowing users to tune their Reels feed according to evolving preferences.

Until now, content suggestions in Reels were driven primarily by opaque algorithms that analyse engagement patterns without user input. Meta’s introduction of Your Algorithm aligns with broader industry trends, where platforms like TikTok already offer topic filters to influence recommendation feeds – but Instagram’s implementation goes further by letting users both view the AI’s inference and adjust it directly.

Meta product executives frame this update as a step toward a more controllable and transparent experience. According to the company, these controls will initially roll out in the U.S. with plans to expand to all English-speaking regions soon, and possibly integrate similar controls in other parts of Instagram, such as the Explore tab, and other Meta apps.