Instagram settings by default allow anyone on Instagram to add you to any group. I know that sounds terrifying. In any case, you can change this and gain some privacy on Instagram. You’re in luck if you have a professional Instagram profile. You can control who can add you to groups.
Here is a fix for that:
- Go to your profile on Instagram.
- In the top-right corner, tap the three-line menu icon.
- In the menu, select “Settings.”
- On the Settings screen, select “Privacy.”
- On the Privacy screen, select the “Messages” option.
- Under “Allow others to add you to groups,” select “Only people you follow.”
- Only accounts you follow will be able to add you to chat groups from now on.
If you, like most people, have a personal Instagram account, there is currently no way to prevent someone from adding you to a group—even if your account is set to private.
Instead, you have three choices:
- Turn off group request notifications.
- Get out of the group.
- Block the user who added you.
To turn off notifications for group requests:
- navigate to your profile
- In the upper-right corner, tap the menu icon.
- Then navigate to Settings > Notifications > Direct Messages.
- Tap “Off” under Group Requests.
- At the very least, you will no longer receive a push notification when someone adds you to a group.
To leave a group chat:
- In the top-right corner of the chat, tap the” I “icon.
- Under the list of chat members, select “Leave Chat.”
- Then select “Leave.”
To block the account that is added:
- Under Members, tap the three small dots next to the account’s name.
- To block that chat, tap “Block.”
- This will prevent the spammer from adding you to the group again.