Instagram is introducing a new safety feature aimed at strengthening parental awareness around teen mental health. Starting next week, the platform will begin notifying parents when a teen repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period of time.
The alerts will be available to parents who have enabled Instagram’s parental supervision tools and will initially roll out in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Meta says additional regions will follow later.
According to Instagram, the alerts are designed to strike a careful balance between privacy and safety. The system will only trigger notifications after several related searches occur within a limited timeframe, rather than flagging a single query. While the company acknowledges that some alerts may not always indicate immediate risk, it says experts advised that early awareness is critical.
From the notification, parents will have the option to access guidance and resources intended to help them start supportive conversations with their teens about mental health and wellbeing.
Instagram emphasized that its existing protections for younger users remain in place. Teens are still prevented from seeing search results or content related to suicide and self-harm under current policies, and the platform continues to redirect such searches toward support resources.
The company also confirmed that it is working on a similar alert system tied to its AI-powered tools, though further details are not expected until later this year.
The move is part of Meta’s broader effort to address concerns from parents, regulators, and mental health advocates about the impact of social media on young users, particularly around sensitive and potentially harmful topics.
