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Facebook's latest tool wants to stop you from stalking your ex's feed.

Image: HBO

A breakup is never easy – and it’s made 10 times harder when you’re confronted by your ex’s tagged photos and late night check-ins all over your Facebook feed.

Fortunately, the team at Facebook has realised we probably don’t want to be updated every time our ex posts a selfie with their new partner — and they’re introducing a tool to make the breakup experience a little less depressing.

From today, the social media site will be testing a few new tools that allow you to have greater control over what you see from an old partner. After you make the big update to “single”, you’ll now see a series of questions prompting you to use the tool and the banner “See less of [insert name of ex]”.

Watch: Ben Fordham’s thoughts on social media. (Post continues after video.)

In just a few clicks, you’ll be able to limit their appearance in your news feed, prevent them from popping up as suggested tags or message recipients and limit the updates that you post that they can see.

Basically, this will make it a little harder for you to compulsive stalk your ex’s latest updates in those moments of weakness that strike at 3am.

You can also edit who can see your past posts together and untag yourself from those cheesy loved-up old photos, too.

Image: Facebook.

 

The best part? Unlike blocking or unfriending, they won't have any idea you've made these changes.

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"This work is part of our ongoing effort to develop resources for people who may be going through difficult moments in their lives. We hope these tools will help people end relationships on Facebook with greater ease, comfort, and sense of control," said Facebook Product Manager Kelly Winters. (Post continues after gallery.)

 

Unfortunately at the moment the testing is just restricted to the US and on mobile, so the rest of us will have to suffer for a bit longer until Facebook gets feedback from the testers and decides to roll it out for all users.

Until then, there's always the 'hide' button - or switching off entirely and hitting up friends, cocktails or icecream. Preferably all at once.

Would you use the feature?

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