Instagram will begin notifying parents if their teen repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide or self-harm within a short period of time, marking the first time its parent company has proactively alerted families to such search activity.

The move, announced by Meta, will apply to parents enrolled in Instagram’s parental supervision programme. From next week, parents and teens signed up to supervision in the UK, US, Australia and Canada will be notified that the new alerts are being introduced, with a wider global rollout to follow later this year.

Instagram said it already blocks content clearly associated with suicide or self-harm from appearing in teen accounts’ search results and instead directs users to resources and helplines that can offer support.

Attempted searches that would prompt an alert include phrases promoting suicide or self-harm, phrases suggesting a teen wants to harm themselves, and terms such as “suicide” or “self-harm”. Alerts will be sent via email, text or WhatsApp, depending on the contact information available, as well as through an in-app notification on the parent’s Instagram account.

Tapping the notification will open a full-screen message explaining that their teen has repeatedly tried to search Instagram for terms associated with suicide or self-harm within a short period of time. Parents will also have the option to view resources designed to help them approach potentially sensitive conversations with their teen.

In a blog post, Meta said: “Our goal is to empower parents to step in if their teen’s searches suggest they may need support. We also want to avoid sending these notifications unnecessarily, which, if done too much, could make the notifications less useful overall.

The blog added that the company knows “how sensitive these issues are, and how distressing it could be for a parent to receive an alert like this.” It said the vast majority of teens do not try to search for suicide and self-harm content on Instagram and reiterated that its policy is to block such searches and direct users to support resources.

Meta said it analysed Instagram search behaviour and consulted with experts from its Suicide and Self-Harm Advisory Group when determining the threshold for alerts.

It chose a threshold requiring “a few searches within a short period of time”, stating that while this may occasionally notify parents where there is no real cause for concern, it believes this is “the right starting point” and that it will continue to monitor feedback.

Dr Sameer Hinduja, Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, said: “When a young person searches about suicide or self-harm, empowering a parent to step in can be extremely important. The fact that Meta has now built this in is a meaningful step forward and is the kind of change that child safety experts have been pushing for.”

Vicki Shotbolt, CEO of Parent Zone, added: “It’s vital that parents have the information they need to support their teens. This is a really important step that should help give parents greater peace of mind – if their teen is actively trying to look for this type of harmful content on Instagram, they’ll know about it.”

The new alerts build on existing teen protections on Instagram, including hiding material relating to suicide or self-harm from teen accounts, even if shared by someone they follow, and blocking searches for harmful or dangerous content. The platform said it will continue to alert emergency services when it becomes aware of anyone at imminent risk of physical harm.

Meta also confirmed it is developing similar parental notifications relating to teens’ interactions with artificial intelligence. “These will notify parents if a teen attempts to engage in certain types of conversations related to suicide or self-harm with our AI,” the company said. “This is important work and we’ll have more to share in the coming months.”

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The announcement comes as Meta faces two trials in the United States concerning alleged harms to children. A trial underway in Los Angeles questions whether the company’s platforms deliberately addict and harm minors. Another, in New Mexico, seeks to determine whether Meta failed to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms.

Thousands of families, alongside school districts and government entities, have sued Meta and other social media companies, alleging they deliberately design their platforms to be addictive and fail to protect children from content that can lead to depression, eating disorders and suicide.

Meta executives, including chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, have disputed claims that the company’s platforms cause addiction. During questioning by the plaintiff’s lawyer in Los Angeles, Zuckerberg said he still agrees with a previous statement that the existing body of scientific work has not proved that social media causes mental health harms.