Instagram To Alert Parents When Teens Search For Suicide Content

Instagram said it would notify parents if their teenager repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period, as pressure grows for governments to follow Australia's ban on the use of social media for under 16s. 

Britain said in January it was considering restrictions to protect children online, after Australia's move in December. Spain, Greece, and Slovenia have in recent weeks said they are also looking at limiting



access.

Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms Inc, said on Thursday it would start alerting parents who are signed up to its optional supervision setting if their children try to access suicide or self-harm content. 

"These alerts build on our existing work to help protect teens from potentially harmful content on Instagram," the platform said in a statement. 

"We have strict policies against content that promotes or glorifies suicide or self-harm."