Meta said Tuesday it will start hiding inappropriate content from teenagers鈥� accounts on Instagram and Facebook, including posts about suicide, self-harm and eating disorders.

The social media giant based in Menlo Park, California, that while it already aims not to recommend such 鈥渁ge-inappropriate鈥� material to teens, now it also won鈥檛 show it in their feeds, even if it is shared by an account they follow.

鈥淲e want teens to have safe, age-appropriate experiences on our apps,鈥� Meta said.

Teen users 鈥� provided they did not lie about their age when they signed up for Instagram or Facebook 鈥� will also see their accounts placed on the most restrictive settings on the platforms, and they will be blocked from searching for terms that might be harmful.

鈥淭ake the example of someone posting about their ongoing struggle with thoughts of self-harm. This is an important story, and can help destigmatize these issues, but it鈥檚 a complex topic and isn鈥檛 necessarily suitable for all young people,鈥� Meta said. 鈥淣ow, we鈥檒l start to remove this type of content from teens鈥� experiences on Instagram and Facebook, as well as other types of age-inappropriate content.鈥�

Meta鈥檚 announcement comes as the company faces lawsuits from that accuse it of harming young people and contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms.

Critics said Meta鈥檚 moves don鈥檛 go far enough.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 announcement by Meta is yet another desperate attempt to avoid regulation and an incredible slap in the face to parents who have lost their kids to online harms on Instagram,鈥� said Josh Golin, executive director of the children鈥檚 online advocacy group Fairplay.

鈥淚f the company is capable of hiding pro-suicide and eating disorder content, why have they waited until 2024 to announce these changes?鈥�

READ ALSO: