Instagram DMs crash, chat themes vanish as thousands report outages worldwide
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New Delhi: Instagram users globally faced major disruptions early Wednesday, primarily unable to access direct messages (DMs) and missing chat themes, with complaints surging on Downdetector.
Users vented on Reddit and X about blank message pages despite notifications, broken search tools, non-scrolling contacts, and vanished shared themes. One wrote: "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." Another added: "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."
Downdetector logged over 10,000 access complaints peaking early morning, with 71% access issues, 19% server problems, and 5% feed glitches. US reports topped 10,000; India saw 100+ recently; UK hit 170 around 9:11 am IST. Figures aggregate user reports, so actual impact varies.
Children averaging over 30 minutes daily on Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat show declining concentration from ages 10-14, per a study of 8,000+ kids whose screen time rose from 30 mins (age 9) to 2.5 hours (age 13).
(Inputs from IANS)