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In a shift to its safety protocols, Instagram has announced it will begin proactively alerting parents if their teenagers repeatedly search for terms related to suicide and self-harm.
The feature marks the first time that parent company Meta will notify parents about specific search behaviours, rather than simply blocking the content and providing resources to users.
The move comes as Meta and other tech giants face what experts are calling their “Big Tobacco” moment. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently testified in Los Angeles Superior Court regarding allegations that Instagram’s design fosters addiction and detrimental mental health effects in minors.
By introducing these alerts, Meta aims to provide parents with “the resources they need to support their teen” during critical windows of distress.
How the alerts will function
The system is designed to trigger when a teenager enrolled in Instagram’s “Teen Accounts” repeatedly searches for phrases promoting self-harm or terms like “suicide” within a short period. Notifications will be delivered to parents via email, text, WhatsApp, or through the Instagram app itself.
Meta acknowledged that the system might “err on the side of caution,” potentially sending alerts that do not indicate a genuine crisis. However, it maintains that notifying parents is the “right starting point.”
The rollout will begin next week in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada, with a global release planned for later this year. Meta also intends to expand these alerts to its AI chatbots, as more children turn to artificial intelligence for emotional support.
Backlash from safety advocates
Despite the intended safety benefits, the Molly Rose Foundation – a charity established following the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell – has heavily criticized the plan. Chief Executive Andy Burrows warned that “forced disclosures could do more harm than good,” noting that “flimsy notifications will leave parents panicked and ill-prepared” for the sensitive conversations that follow.
Advocates argue that the burden of safety is being shifted onto parents rather than addressed at the source. The Molly Rose Foundation cited research suggesting that Instagram’s algorithms still actively recommend harmful content to vulnerable youths.
Similarly, Ged Flynn of the charity Papyrus stated that parents “don’t want to be warned after their children search for harmful content; they don’t want it to be spoon-fed to them by unthinking algorithms.”
As regulators in countries like Australia move toward total social media bans for under-16s, Meta’s latest tool represents a high-stakes attempt to prove that self-regulation can still protect young users in an increasingly digital world.
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