Most young people who have viewed self-harm content online have not gone looking for it, research suggests.Almost three-quarters of 11 to 18-year-olds who said they had encountered such content did so unintentionally, mostly after it had been pushed by algorithms, the University of Oxford research found.Algorithms are generally designed to keep users on a site, and many online safety campaigners have warned of harmful content being suggested to people as they scroll.A third reported seeing self-harm content online in the previous month. Of those, 72 per cent came across it without seeking it, mostly after the content had been suggested to users on their social media feeds (66.2 per cent).Academics analysed data from 32,102 students aged 11 to 18 who took part in the 2025 OxWell Student Survey in England. Lead author Dr Holly Bear said 'self-harm content' could include some supportive posts such as a friend sharing their recovery journey.But she said that with one in three adolescents exposed, many young people would see potentially harmful material.The study, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, concluded: 'These findings highlight the high proportion of adolescents exposed to online self-harm content, most often unintentionally encountered through algorithm-driven social media feeds. Most young people who have viewed self-harm content online have not gone looking for it, research suggests (stock image)'Reducing harm will require a multipronged public health response to limit widespread passive exposure driven by platform algorithms, with tailored approaches to identify and support the smaller but more vulnerable group of adolescents more actively engaging with this content. 'Co-ordinated action spanning adolescent digital literacy, platform design, regulation and enforcement is vital.'The research came as France became the first European country to approve a social media ban for teenagers. The new law, announced yesterday, will oblige technology companies to prevent under-15s from opening an account from September and to delete existing accounts from January.The UK is set to have a ban on certain social media for under-16s by spring, after an announcement by Keir Starmer last month.But the Molly Rose Foundation, set up in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content online, has said a ban might fail to address what it describes as 'fundamental product safety issues' such as harmful and distressing content being pushed to people through personalised algorithms.Dr Bear said the research showed a need to focus on platforms and 'algorithmically driven systems that determine' what is served to young people. She said: 'As governments around the world consider how best to protect children online, one of the clearest messages from our study is that many adolescents who encounter self–harm content online aren't actively looking for it.'If we want safer online environments for children and adolescents, we need to pay greater attention to the platforms and algorithmically driven systems that determine what content reaches them in the first place. 'We all share a responsibility to ensure that young people can enjoy the benefits of digital technology while being protected from avoidable harm.'The research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley, shows that educating young people about their online experiences is crucial, its senior author said.Professor Mina Fazel, chairwoman of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Oxford, said: 'This study suggests that exposure to self–harm content is not a rare occurrence but part of the online environment many adolescents experience and this study highlights some of the potentially harmful content that platforms need to urgently tackle.'Policy discussions around social media should focus on the more harmful content that exists, how it is accessed and the essential role platforms play in minimising these risks.'Also, helping young people understand how algorithms work and how they can influence what is seen online is an important step. 'Crucially, this is support that young people themselves have told us they want.'