Attorney General Jackley Thanks Meta For Efforts to Improve Youth Safety on Instagram

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Feb. 27, 2026

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878 

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley applauds Meta and Instagram for doing the right thing in implementing preventive efforts where parents using Instagram's child supervision tools will soon receive alerts if their teen repeatedly searches for suicide or self-harm related terms on that platform.

“I have supported legislation in South Dakota and nationally that is designed to help youth who are bullied or adversely impacted by what they see on social media,” said Attorney General Jackley. “I applaud Meta for taking responsibility in helping protect children on its platform.”

Meta said parents who are enrolled in Instagram's Teen Accounts program will receive alerts from Instagram when the platform notices their teen has repeatedly tried to search Instagram for terms associated with suicide or self-harm within a short period of time. Parents will also have the option to view expert resources designed to help them approach potentially sensitive conversations with their teen.

The Instagram press release can be found here: https://about.fb.com/news/2026/02/new-meta-alerts-let-parents-know-if-teen-may-need-support/

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