Instagram is rolling out an update next week that notifies parents when their child repeatedly searches for content related to suicide or self-harm.
“There’s a connection between how much time you spend on social media and your smartphone and anxious and depressive features. One major depressive feature is suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation,” Dr. Wallace Jackmon, an Avera psychologist, said.
Parents enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision program will receive a notification plus resources on how to talk to their child about sensitive mental health topics.
Jackmon said parents should still focus on keeping communication open.
“I think the advice I would give parents is if you’re going to have those conversations, be ready to hear some things you’re not really comfortable hearing,” Dr. Jackmon said. “We don’t want to back children and adolescents off and cut them off completely because then they won’t tell us anything.”
The announcement comes as Meta is facing legal claims its platforms hurt young users. Emily’s Hope founder Angela Kennecke said she’d like to see stronger parental controls across all social media.
“It’s really hard for parents to keep track of everything that’s going on online. Certainly, any tools, any software that parents can access to help do that is a good thing, but there needs to be more protection just in general,” Kennecke said.
On Monday, the nonprofit is showing a documentary that features real stories of social media harms to children. Kennecke said the risks go beyond searches.