Instagram this week gave users the option to turn off read notifications for their private messages, so you can control when the "Viewed" indicator shows up (or not) for the sender.
Instagram read reports
You can now turn off read notifications, so if you don't want people to see that you've read their DM, you can simply remove the "Viewed" notification and keep them engaged.
Customization is available within each individual chat. To activate the new option, you can click on the username (or group chat name), then select "Privacy & Security" and disable "Read Notifications".
This can be a handy way to avoid the anxiety of not replying, as some people get a little nervous if you don't reply after viewing a message.
You can also disable read notifications for all users in the "Messages and replies to stories" settings, so there's a way to avoid having to disable this for each individual chat.
This feature is massively used in various messengers, now you can make your life easier on Instagram too by enabling it in the settings.