Meta terminology

DM / DMs

direct message

Private messaging - Instagram Direct and Facebook Messenger - as opposed to the public surfaces of feed, comments, Explore and search. The source document states that "[r]esearch strongly suggests that DM's are the most problematic interaction vector for teenagers on Instagram", and that teens delete about 47% of the DM threads and requests they receive in their first 14 days on the platform within four weeks.

Sources

Internal documentHow should we default new teens into new interactions settings? (post)3 Apr 2020

Internal documentChild Safety: State of Play17 Oct 2020