INSTAGRAM'S NEW FRIENDS TAB EXPOSES YOUR MUTUAL FOLLOWERS

Your Instagram profile just got a lot more transparent. Users are now seeing 'Friends', 'Followers', and 'Following' tabs on profiles, with the new Friends section showing only your mutual followers (people who follow you back). This isn't the Reels Friends tab that launched globally in 2025. That feature lets you see public Reels your friends liked, commented on, reposted, or posted, plus Blend recommendations. The profile Friends tab is different and more invasive. ## The Feature Users Can't Control There's no toggle, no hidden setting, and no workaround to remove it. Instagram appears to be rolling this out as a permanent change, not just a test. While some users report the feature disappearing and reappearing (likely due to phased rollouts and bugs), there's no sign that Meta plans to make it optional. The timing reveals Meta's broader strategy. Instagram recently rolled out a separate Friends tab in Reels that shows content your connections have engaged with. It seems like Meta is really pushing this "friends" terminology across the board, possibly trying to pivot Instagram back toward more intimate social connections rather than the influencer-and-celebrity-follow model that's dominated for years. ## Why Users Are Freaking Out People aren't happy about it. Reddit threads and X are filling up with complaints from users who find the change depressing, awkward, or just plain unnecessary. Some folks are upset that family members can now easily see their mutual connections. Others just don't like being reminded of how few of their thousands of followers actually follow them back. The backlash mirrors broader privacy concerns around Meta's 2026 AI policy updates. The company insists this enhances user experience, but the lack of a straightforward opt-out for many users has fueled backlash. In the U.S., for instance, there's no blanket opt-out, forcing individuals to navigate complex settings to limit data usage. ## What This Means for Your Instagram Experience For the Reels Friends tab, you have some control. Instagram added a new setting in the "Settings and privacy" menu, "Activity in Friends tab" where you can hide your likes and comments from appearing in others' feeds. But for the profile Friends list? Your only real options right now are to wait and hope Instagram adds a disable toggle after enough backlash, or just accept that your mutual follower count is now front and center on your profile. Neither option is particularly satisfying. Based on the Reddit threads, that reception might be more complicated than Meta anticipated. The company is betting that transparency will drive more genuine connections, but users are discovering they preferred the privacy of ambiguous follower counts.