Meta Makes It More Difficult , for Teens to See Harmful Content.<br />On Jan. 9, Meta announced that it will begin <br />hiding some content from teens under the age of 18 on both Instagram and Facebook, NPR reports. .<br />On Instagram, certain <br />search terms will be restricted.<br />Now, when people search for terms related to <br />suicide, self-harm and eating disorders, we'll <br />start hiding these related results and will <br />direct them to expert resources for help, Meta, via blog post.<br />The changes come as Meta faces calls to <br />make social media safer for children, in addition to several state lawsuits and "possible federal legislation," NPR reports. .<br />While many advocates say that the new policies are a step in the right direction.<br />Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, says that they aren't foolproof. .<br />You do not need parental permission to sign <br />up for a social media account. You check a <br />box saying that you're 13, or you choose a <br />different birth year and, boom, you're on, Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at <br />San Diego State University, via NPR.<br />Twenge says that studies have highlighted the link between social media use and increased depression and self-harm rates.<br />In fact, teens who spend large amounts of time <br />on social media are nearly twice as likely to suffer <br />from depression or inflict harm on themselves <br />compared to moderate social media users.<br />There's clearly a relationship with <br />spending too much time on social media <br />and then these negative outcomes, Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at <br />San Diego State University, via NPR.<br />According to a Meta spokeswoman, the company is attempting to improve its age verification technology to better detect when kids don't provide their true age
