Twitter has announced it will allow users to "mute" words and phrases for the first time as a part of changes aimed at dealing with abuse on the platform.

Some third-party applications already allow users to mute keywords, but now users of the official app or site will be able to hide phrases, keywords and entire conversations from their notifications.

Twitter has also announced a "more direct" way of reporting abusive content, which will show users a range of options to choose from in order to better specify how and why they think content is offensive.

The company says this is so that they can better process and respond to abuse on the network.

"The amount of abuse, bullying, and harassment we've seen across the internet has risen sharply over the past few years," Twitter said in a statement.

"These behaviours 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."

The social network has been criticised for years over its inability to control abusive behaviour on the site, something its chief executive Jack Dorsey has said it needs to have a better grip on.

The statement added: "Because Twitter happens in public and in real-time, we've had some challenges keeping up with and curbing abusive conduct.

"We took a step back to reset and take a new approach, find and focus on the most critical needs, and rapidly improve.

"There are three areas we're focused on, and happy to announce progress around today: controls, reporting, and enforcement."

With regards to enforcement, Twitter says all its support teams have been retrained on the site's policies.

It also said that internal tools had been improved in order to deal effectively with abuse, said it was committed to "rapidly improving Twitter based on everything we observe and learn."