LONDON, U.K.: Instagram will begin notifying parents if their teenager repeatedly searches for suicide or self-harm-related terms within a short period, the company said, as Britain considers tighter restrictions on children's use of social media.

The move comes amid mounting political pressure in several countries to strengthen online protections for minors, following Australia's decision in December to ban social media use for under-16s. Britain said in January it was weighing similar restrictions, while Spain, Greece and Slovenia have also signaled interest in limiting access.

Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms Inc, said it would send alerts to parents who are enrolled in its optional supervision settings if their child attempts to access content related to suicide or self-harm.

"These alerts build on our existing work to help protect teens from potentially harmful content on Instagram," the platform said in a statement. "We have strict policies against content that promotes or glorifies suicide or self-harm."

The company said its current policy blocks such searches and redirects users to support resources. The new alerts will roll out from next week in the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada for parents who have signed up for supervision.

Governments have intensified efforts to shield children from online harm, particularly after concerns surrounding the AI chatbot Grok, which generated non-consensual sexualised images.

In Britain, proposed safeguards aimed at preventing children from accessing pornography sites have raised privacy concerns for adults and sparked tensions with the United States over issues of free speech and regulatory reach.

Instagram has introduced "teen accounts" for users under 16 that require parental permission to change settings. Parents can also opt into an additional layer of monitoring, provided the teenager agrees.