Instagram, published content will be indexed by Google: here's how to object

It is a novelty that paves the way for greater visibility of content but which, at the same time, raises several questions about privacy and control of one's images on the web: with the arrival of this change, anyone, even non Instagram subscribers, will be able to view what is published in the feed through a web search. Meta, however, reassures the community of its members.

For a few days now, several Instagram users with a professional account, such as Business or Creator, have been seeing a notification appear informing them that 'As of 10 July 2025, search engines will automatically be allowed to show all photos and videos on results pages': the notice, currently reserved only for this segment of users, announces that the content they post on their profiles will be indexed by Google and other search engines, and thus appear when related queries are typed in.

Before raising alarms, however, it is a good idea to check which type of account you are using in order to understand whether the novelty that will go into effect in a few days will also affect you: just open the Instagram settings via the menu available in the top right-hand corner and scroll down to the bottom, under Account Type and Tools.

Should the profile in use be affected by this novelty, consent can of course be denied at any time and there are two different ways to do so. The first way to object can be reached directly by tapping on the Do not consent button; however, if out of distraction or haste you have quickly closed the notification, you can still express your refusal to the indexing of photos and videos by going to the social network settings, in particular to Account privacy, and deactivating the item Allow showing public photos and videos in search engine results.

In reality, however, it would not be the first time ever that Instagram content would end up in Google's index. From a support page, in fact, it appears that although the social network requires search engines not to index visual content from stories, reels, posts and featured content, as of 1 January 2020, the platform will allow photos and videos from public reels and shared posts to be indexed, but only if they are published by accounts whose owner is 18 years of age or older and is using a public or professional account.