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META is to begin notifying parents when their teenage children repeatedly search for suicide- or self-harm-related content on Instagram, marking a significant expansion of its safety measures amid intensifying legal scrutiny of social media platforms.
The company said the feature will be rolled out in the coming weeks in the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada, with other regions to follow in late 2026.
AFP reported that under the new system, an alert will be triggered if a teenager conducts multiple searches for related terms within a short period.
Parents who use Instagram’s parental supervision tools will receive notifications via email, SMS, WhatsApp and through the application itself, alongside expert guidance to help them navigate what may be difficult conversations with their children.
Instagram already blocks searches for terms associated with suicide and self-harm, redirecting users instead to helplines and support organisations. The new alert mechanism is designed to identify cases in which teenagers persist in attempting such searches despite those restrictions.
Meta said it consulted its Suicide and Self-Harm Advisory Group in determining the threshold for triggering notifications. The company added that it had deliberately adopted a cautious approach, even if that means some alerts may be issued where no genuine risk exists.
The announcement comes as Meta confronts mounting legal and political pressure over the impact of its platforms on young users.
Earlier this month, Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, gave evidence in a landmark trial in California examining allegations that his company and others knowingly fostered addiction among minors. It is the first time such claims have been heard before a jury.
Meta is also facing a broader global push to restrict children’s access to social media. Australia banned under-16s from using social media platforms last December, while France, Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom are advancing similar measures.
In Los Angeles, plaintiffs in a high-profile social media trial this week sought to portray a 20-year-old claimant, Kaley GM, as emotionally vulnerable and drawn into heavy use of YouTube and Instagram from an early age in order to drive engagement.
The trial, which is expected to run until the end of March, will determine whether Meta and YouTube’s parent company, Google, should bear responsibility for the mental health difficulties she alleges, including addiction linked to prolonged social media use.
Its outcome is widely viewed as a potential benchmark for thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of contributing to rising rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicide among young people. - February 27, 2026
