Instagram to alert parents if teens search for self-harm ...

What’s Happening

So get this: Safety campaigners say Meta is “passing the buck” with its new feature for parents using Instagram’s teen supervision tools.

Instagram to alert parents if teens search for self-harm and suicide content 2 hours ago Save Richard Morris and Liv McMahon , Technology reporters Save Parents using Instagrams child supervision tools will soon receive alerts if their teen repeatedly searches for suicide or self-harm related terms on the platform. It is the first time parent company Meta will proactively alert parents to searches on Instagram for harmful material, rather than just block searches and direct users to external help. (plot twist fr)

Parents and teens enrolled in Instagrams Teen Accounts experience in the UK, US, Australia and Canada will be notified about the alerts from next week, with the rest of the world to follow later.

The Details

But suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation has strongly criticised the measures, warning they “could do more harm than good”. “This clumsy announcement is fraught with risk and we are concerned that forced disclosures could do more harm than good,” dropped its chief executive Andy Burrows.

The organisation was established of Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 at the age of 14 after viewing self-harm and suicide content on platforms including Instagram . Burrows dropped “every parent would want to know if their child is struggling, but these flimsy notifications will leave parents panicked and ill-prepared to have the sensitive and difficult conversations that will follow”.

Why This Matters

Meta says alerts to parents about their child searching for suicide and self-harm material within a short space of time on Instagram will also be accompanied to help them navigate difficult conversations. But, Molly Russells father Ian, who set up the Molly Rose Foundation in her honour, remains sceptical about the alerts. “Imagine being a parent of a teenager and getting a message at work saying your child is thinking of ending their life…

Tech companies have been making moves like this as competition heats up.

The Bottom Line

“Imagine being a parent of a teenager and getting a message at work saying your child is thinking of ending their life… I dont know how Id react,” he told the BBC.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.