Instagram's Self-Harm Safety Feature Failed Every Test

A Reuters investigation in September 2025 found that Instagram's redirect mechanism—intended to steer teens away from self-harm content—never activated during researcher testing. The finding matters because Australia's under-16 social media ban relies on platforms to enforce age restrictions through technical tools. If those tools malfunction at their core function, compliance becomes illusory. Meta disputed characterizations of its teen safety efforts but did not contest the feature-level findings.