New Facebook tools make it easier to deal with the post-breakup blues

Facebook is generally the place many people turn to when they want to stay abreast of what’s happening in the lives of their friends and family. Be it holiday photos, the birth of a child or city relocations, it is sometimes the only way most people stay in touch. But when it comes to relationships, the world of Facebook is subject to the same level of awkwardness that exists in the real world, especially during the time a relationship sends.

In an attempt to make it easier to deal with what happens on their Facebook experience after two people go from ‘In a relationship’ to ‘Single’, the social network has introduced a range of tools that users can optionally try out.

First, users can choose to see less of their former partner in and around Facebook: they can choose to hide their ex-partner’s posts from appearing on their news feed, or even hide their name from appearing when composing new messages or tagging people in photos.

Users can also limit how their own posts will be seen by their former partner, including the ability to hide all or individual posts that their partner has been tagged in. They can also choose to un-tag themselves from previous posts, which will also have a bearing of how frequently mutual friends will see them together on Facebook.

These tools are currently only being rolled out in the US and on the mobile app, and all of these are opt-in with access via the Facebook help center.