London charity criticises Instagram's new parent alerts
The Molly Rose Foundation has described the alerts as 'flimsy'.
A charity founded in memory of Molly Russell, a teenager who took her own life after being exposed to harmful content online, has voiced disapproval over Instagram’s new parental alerts.
Instagram, owned by Meta, revealed an initiative to notify parents if their teenager frequently searches terms related to suicide or self-harm.
Scheduled to begin next week, the alerts will be available to parents who have enrolled in the app's parental supervision, aiming to address and support sensitive conversations via multiple communication methods, including email and WhatsApp.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, criticised Meta's announcement, stating that the notifications risk causing more harm than good.
Burrows said, "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."
He further stressed that Instagram's algorithms still present harmful content to young people and urged the company to focus on addressing these risks.
Calls for improved online safety
Molly, from Harrow, west London, died in November 2017 which prompted campaigns for improved online safety spearheaded by her father Ian Russell.
Meta detailed that notifications would initially launch in the UK, US, Australia, and Canada, with expansion to other regions planned for later this year.
In parallel, the Prime Minister has stated his intention to act promptly to shield young people from addictive social media platforms, amid discussions on a prohibition for under-16s.
In March, a three-month consultation aims to explore banning children from social media and curtailing endless scrolling.
The documentary, "Molly vs THE MACHINES", delving into the factors leading to Molly's suicide will feature in UK cinemas on 1st March and broadcast on Channel 4 on 5th March.