Instagram, a platform owned by Facebook, is currently exploring the idea of eliminating the “likes” feature in response to concerns about cyber-bullying.

This popular photo-sharing platform is aiming to reduce the social pressures associated with certain aspects of social media.

Instagram is currently testing the concept of hiding the total number of likes on posts to observe how users respond to this change. This change is expected to help relieve many of the pressures faced by individuals, especially young people, on social media platforms. The decision to test the removal of the like feature follows a recent similar action taken by Twitter. Facebook announced on Tuesday, “Later this week, we’re running a test in Canada that removes the total number of likes on photos and video views. We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.”

Presently, Instagram users in Canada will only be able to view the number of likes their own videos receive, while they won’t see the likes on posts made by others in a bid to combat cyber-bullying on social media platforms.

Facebook has been in charge of Instagram since 2012. The platform currently boasts one billion active monthly users, with half of these users engaging with Instagram on a daily basis. Cyber-bullying has been a major concern in Canada, especially after instances of cyber-bullying resulted in teen suicides. A 2017 study mentioned in Time magazine identified Instagram as the most detrimental social media network for mental health and overall well-being.