‘Can we help?’ Instagram adds support feature for opioid-related searches

Select Instagram hashtags now offer more than a simple collection of photos.

The photo-sharing application released a feature that shares opioid recovery and treatment information to users who search certain drugrelated words like “opioid” and “uppers.”

According to the company, people searching drug-related words typically are seeking support, and Instagram wanted to build upon those efforts.

“The opioid epidemic is an issue that affects millions of people, and we want to use our platform to offer resources to those who need it—in the places where they are seeking help,” Karina Newton, Instagram’s head of public policy, told Mashable.

In April the platform restricted results from drug-related searches, as pressure mounted from the Food and Drug Administration and senators who were concerned about the selling of drugs on social media websites.

Now users will be directed to free treatment referral sites if they opt for support after searching these hashtags. Instagram partnered with organizations and agencies like the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence to include recovery information.

The pop-up notification is only active for Instagram users in the U.S., but the company says it’ll be available for users around the world “soon.” ●