Summary
Instagram will notify parents if their teenagers repeatedly search for terms linked to suicide or self-harm. This feature is available for parents who are part of Instagram's parental supervision program. The initiative comes amid ongoing trials concerning the impact of social media on children.
Key Facts
- Instagram plans to alert parents when teens search for suicide-related content often.
- These alerts are for those registered in Instagram's parental supervision program.
- Instagram already blocks such harmful content from appearing in teen searches and directs users to helplines.
- Meta, Instagram's parent company, is involved in two trials about harms to children from social media.
- Thousands have sued Meta, accusing it of making platforms addictive and harmful to kids.
- Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, argue that there's no scientific consensus on social media causing mental health issues.
- Parents will receive alerts through email, text, WhatsApp, or Instagram notifications.
- Meta is also working on similar notifications about teens’ interactions with artificial intelligence.
