Twitter has announced a plan to take down online hate speech, and it’s so important

Twitter says it’s rolling out new features to help users stop cyberbullies in their tracks. 

The social media site is great for sharing news, information, and keeping up with your favorite celebrities. But, unfortunately, it’s also a magnet for anonymous internet trolls to harass users. (We love you, Leslie J!)

Users will now have the ability to mute notifications by keyword, phrase, or conversation, helping hateful and threatening language to stay off their phones.

Want to stop getting notifications for Tweets that contain certain words, usernames, or hashtags? We're giving you that control. pic.twitter.com/awoNHUYbTG

— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) November 15, 2016

“The amount of abuse, bullying, and harassment we’ve seen across the Internet has risen sharply over the past few years,” announced Twitter in a statement Tuesday.

“These behaviors inhibit people from participating on Twitter, or anywhere. Abusive conduct removes the chance to see and share all perspectives around an issue, which we believe is critical to moving us all forward. In the worst cases, this type of conduct threatens human dignity, which we should all stand together to protect.”

Hat’s off to Twitter for taking steps to protect us. We appreciate it.