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Instagram will begin alerting parents if their teenagers repeatedly search for suicide or self-harm content, as governments including Britain consider tighter restrictions on young people’s use of social media.
The move comes as pressure grows in several countries to follow Australia’s recent decision to ban social media access for children under 16.
Meta-owned Instagram said the new feature would roll out next week in selected countries, reports Reuters.
New parental alerts
In a statement on Thursday, the platform said parents who have signed up to its optional supervision tools will receive notifications if their child attempts to access suicide or self-harm-related material multiple times within a short period.
“These alerts build on our existing work to help protect teens from potentially harmful content on Instagram,” the company said. “We have strict policies against content that promotes or glorifies suicide or self-harm.”
Instagram said it already blocks certain searches and directs users to support services. The alert system will initially launch in the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada for families enrolled in supervision settings.
Teen accounts for users under 16 require parental permission to adjust safety settings. Parents can also opt into additional oversight features, subject to their teenager’s agreement.
Political pressure builds
The announcement comes as policymakers in Britain weigh further action to shield children online. In January, the UK government said it was considering stronger measures following Australia’s ban introduced in December.
Spain, Greece and Slovenia have also signalled they are examining possible limits on youth access to social media platforms.
Governments have faced mounting calls to act after concerns about harmful online material, including controversy surrounding AI chatbot Grok, which has generated non-consensual sexualised images.
In Britain, recent efforts to restrict children’s access to pornography websites have sparked debate about privacy rights for adults and raised tensions with the United States over free speech and regulatory authority.
As scrutiny intensifies, social media companies are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that they can protect younger users without sweeping legislative bans.
Sources: Reuters, Meta Platforms Inc
