Facebook’s Break-Up Tool

Heartbreak and social media make for a disastrous mix. People know when their exes are online, where they've gone for a vacation, where they're eating, whether they've moved on or not. You don't want to block them, for that would be too severe a step. After all, you share a common circle of friends as well. Even the option of 'unfollow' may not be prudent.

To ease the process of parting ways, even if only on social media, Facebook has now created some new tools for testing. Each of these has been designed to help cope with the end of a relationship. Once you state that you are single again, you will get a prompt that offers two options: to see less of your ex anywhere on Facebook or to limit where you see your ex. This means you wouldn't get a prompt to tag your ex and/or your ex will not appear too often on your news feed.

In addition you can also limit what your ex will see of you (your ex will not be notified of any changes made). This rather laborious set-up also includes who can see your past posts with an ex, presumably to save you from any further embarrassment or heartache.

While the tools are in testing phase and only available in the US market at present, and that too only on mobiles, they may be offered in other markets based on feedback. It's an effort on Facebook's part to help people get through the trauma of a breakup 'on Facebook'.

It's worth finding out how such a tool will really help people. It may seem needless to some, but for those who 'eat drink sleep breathe' Facebook, it may be highly useful.