Previously, Instagram users saw a running total of people who had liked a post.
In the trial, users now see a user name “and others” below posts.
Instagrammers can still view the number of likes their own posts receive, just not those of others’ posts.
If users really want to know who exactly liked someone else’s post, they can click through to bring up a list of the users who liked the post.
The move follows a similar trial in Canada in May.
The new test is rolling out in Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan and Brazil.
“We want to help people to focus on the photos and videos that are shared and not on the likes they receive,” Tara Hopkins, Head of Public Policy EMEA for Instagram, said.
There is concern social media platforms can contribute to low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy in young people.
When the test was first run in Canada, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said the aim was to minimise the stress of posting online with users competing over the number of likes their posts receive.
It’s not yet known if the experiment will be carried out in other countries.
