Instagram says it will notify parents if teens ‘repeatedly’ search for terms related to suicide

Instagram to Alert Parents When Teens Search for Self-Harm Content Amid Legal Battles

Instagram announced Thursday it will begin notifying parents when their teenagers repeatedly search for content related to suicide or self-harm, marking the latest effort by the social media giant to address growing concerns about online safety for young users.

The new alert system will only be available to parents who have enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program. Notifications will be delivered via email, text message, WhatsApp, or through the parent’s Instagram account, depending on their contact preferences.

“Our goal is to empower parents to step in if their teen’s searches suggest they may need support,” Meta explained in a blog post announcing the feature. “We also want to avoid sending these notifications unnecessarily, which, if done too much, could make the notifications less useful overall.”

The company noted that it already blocks such content from appearing in teen accounts’ search results and instead directs users to mental health resources and helplines.

This announcement comes at a critical time for Meta, Instagram’s parent company, which is currently facing significant legal challenges related to child safety. The company is defending itself in two high-profile trials: one in Los Angeles examining whether Meta’s platforms deliberately addict and harm minors, and another in New Mexico investigating whether the company failed to protect children from sexual exploitation.

Beyond these ongoing trials, Meta faces thousands of lawsuits from families, school districts, and government entities alleging the company deliberately designs addictive platforms that fail to protect young users from harmful content linked to depression, eating disorders, and suicide.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has publicly disputed claims that the company’s platforms cause addiction. During questioning in the Los Angeles trial, Zuckerberg maintained his position that existing scientific research has not conclusively proven that social media causes mental health problems.

Child safety advocates have expressed skepticism about Instagram’s new notification system. Josh Golin, executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, suggested the timing of the announcement is strategic given the company’s legal troubles.

“Instagram is clearly making this move now because the company is currently on trial in two different states for addicting and harming kids,” Golin said. “Once again, Meta is shifting the burden to parents rather than fixing the dangerous flaws in how it designs its algorithms and platforms.”

Golin further criticized the limited scope of the protection, noting, “All children deserve to be protected, regardless of whether their parents have enrolled in and utilize Meta’s supervision tools. If a product is not safe for teens to use without parental intervention, it shouldn’t be marketed to teens at all.”

Meta has also revealed it’s developing similar parental notifications related to teens’ interactions with artificial intelligence on its platforms. These upcoming features will alert parents if their teen attempts to engage AI in conversations about suicide or self-harm. The company promised more details on these initiatives in the coming months.

This latest safety measure represents part of Meta’s ongoing effort to address mounting criticism and regulatory pressure regarding its impact on young users’ mental health. However, as legal challenges continue and advocacy groups push for more comprehensive reforms, questions remain about whether such features will significantly improve youth safety on social media platforms.