Instagram has said that it will begin notifying parents if their teenage child “repeatedly” searches for content related to self-harm or suicide.
The announcement follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifying in court in response to claims that Instagram content had led to self-harm by children …
Instagram accused of encouraging self-harm
Zuckerberg first faced questioning in the US Senate on this issue at the beginning of 2024.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised to families who say their children had been harmed by social media, during a fiery hearing in the US Senate. Mr Zuckerberg – who runs Instagram and Facebook – turned to them and said “no-one should go through” what they had.
Appearing in court earlier this month, Zuckerberg said he wished the company had acted sooner in identifying underage users.
Plaintiffs’ lawyers grilled Zuckerberg about internal complaints that not enough was being done to verify whether children under 13 were using the platform. Zuckerberg claimed Meta had improved in identifying underage users but also said: “I always wish that we could have gotten there sooner.”
Instagram will now report searches to parents
The company has today announced that it will begin notifying parents of worrying searches by their teens.
In the coming weeks, Instagram will start notifying parents using supervision if their teen repeatedly tries to search for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period of time […]
Our policy is to block these searches, instead directing them to resources and helplines that can offer support. These alerts are designed to make sure parents are aware if their teen is repeatedly trying to search for this content, and to give them the resources they need to support their teen.
The social media company says it will use whatever contact information it has available in order to reach parents. Alerts may be sent via text message, email, or WhatsApp, as well as in-app notification.
The feature will first roll out next week in the US, UK, Australia and Canada, with other countries to follow later in the year.
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