Social media giant Twitter will roll out three new changes to the platform in an effort to curb harassment and abuse, the company announced in a statement.

The statement said that ensuring users were safe on the platform was the company's "primary focus", and that it stands for "freedom of expression".

The statement added: "[Freedom of expression] is put in jeopardy when abuse and harassment stifle and silence those voices."

The three changes the company will make are:

Twitter has increasingly come under fire for its apparent inability to deal with abuse on the platform.

Last October, Twitter was looking for a buyer to purchase the site.

While Google, Disney, and Salesforce were interested in buying the platform, they were reportedly deterred, in part, by the fact that users are often overwhelmed with "trolls" who bully and harass them into silence.

In November, Twitter announced changes to the platform including a new reporting system for victims of harassment, new training for staff on their 'hateful conduct policy', and expanding the mute feature to cover notifications.