Washington, February 26: Instagram has announced that it will begin notifying parents if their teenage children repeatedly search for terms related to self-harm within a short period.

In a statement, the platform - owned by Meta Platforms - said the feature will apply to parents who have opted into Instagram’s supervision settings. The alerts are designed to help families identify potentially concerning online behaviour and provide timely support to minors.

The company said the new measure complements its existing policies that prohibit content promoting or glorifying suicide or self-harm, as part of broader efforts to enhance safety for young users.

The announcement comes amid increasing global pressure on governments and technology companies to strengthen online protections for children and teenagers.

Australia has already moved to restrict social media use for children under 16, while the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece and Slovenia are exploring similar regulatory measures aimed at safeguarding young internet users. (QNA)