NEW DELHI, India — Thousands of Instagram users reported widespread technical issues early Wednesday, with many saying they were unable to access direct messages or noticed that chat themes had disappeared from conversations.
Users took to Reddit and other social media platforms to report problems with Instagram’s messaging system, search function, and contact lists.
“Around two hours ago, my message page didn’t show any messages at all, even though I have plenty, and I got two notifications earlier,” one user wrote in a post describing the issue.
Another user reported broader functionality problems, writing, “My messages, my contacts on Instagram, I can’t use the search tool or even scroll up! The whole thing is just broken right now.”
Some users also said shared chat themes had vanished from conversations. One user said a customized theme had disappeared from both his and a friend’s direct messages.
Outage tracking service Downdetector recorded more than 10,000 user complaints about Instagram access issues, with the spike occurring early Wednesday morning.
Downdetector tracks outages by compiling reports from multiple sources, including user-submitted complaints, meaning the actual number of affected users may be higher.
According to the site’s data, about 71 percent of reported issues were related to platform access, while 19 percent involved server connection problems. Another 5 percent of users reported trouble accessing the feed or timeline.
More than 10,000 outage reports came from the United States, while India logged around 100 complaints, though reports there have also been rising. The United Kingdom recorded roughly 170 reports, with the peak occurring at about 9:11 a.m. IST.
Separately, recent research has raised concerns about the impact of social media use among young people. A study involving more than 8,000 children between the ages of about 10 and 14 found that those who spend more than 30 minutes per day on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat may experience a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate.
The study found that average daily screen time increased significantly with age, rising from about 30 minutes for 9-year-olds to roughly 2.5 hours for 13-year-olds. (Source: IANS)
