The trial is running in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Japan and Italy, among other countries.

Users can still see how many people have liked their posts, however they won't be able to see the number of likes another post gets unless they count it themselves.

Launceston's Instagram influencer Brooke Saward runs a popular travel-oriented blog and Instagram page: worldwonderlust, which has about 600,000 followers.

Ms Saward said the shift away from like numbers was a huge change, but would have a positive impact on across the broader spectrum.

"I have seen first-hand how likes and the search for social validation can really affect a person's mental health," she said.

"I'm lucky to have started using Instagram back when it first started and used it as a way to document my travels rather than jumping on the success bandwagon and pursuing an 'influencer career' for the sake of success - be that growth in numbers for social validation or financial gain."

Ms Saward said she often worried about her 16-year-old brother and the impact a 'like'-oriented social media age may have on him.

"There is such a value placed on likes, social currency and validation," she said.

"This pressure to be 'liked', whether online or in real life, can really be an issue for young, impressionable people.

"I do think the rise in anxiety in young people is linked directly with social media and the way we use it."

This stance has been echoed by youth mental health organisation headspace.

Headspace Launceston clinical leader Caroline Thain said while the prevalence of social media in young people's lives could be a positive in terms of connecting them, there were negative aspects to it including an emphasis on like numbers.

"Instagram certainly can contribute with a negative impact and we believe the cause of that was the pressure to like people's posts, the pressure to respond to friends in that way," she said.

"They [Instagram] won't know that unless they actually research it themselves and actually get some evidence, but I think it's actually a good way to go for sure.

"I think by removing it we'll have a very positive impact."

Ms Thain added the issue around the impact of like numbers was something raised with the organisation by not only young people, but their parents as well.

"Parents often worry about young people being so connected to devices and screens and a lot of it is to do with feeling the need to be on social media all the time," she said.

"We often talk to parents about helpful boundaries and again it's not about ruling social media out all together, because it is very much a part of social connectiveness now for young people, it's about giving parents advice around how to use social media in healthy ways."

In a statement on Instagram's Twitter page, the company said the trial was aimed at promoting content over likes.

"We want your friends to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get," the tweet said.

From an influencer point of view, Ms Saward said like numbers were often emphasised by content sponsors or brands.

"The likes side of Instagram and how many likes a photo gets has never impacted me personally, but it has been constantly pushed on me by brands and clients I work with who are often interested only in numbers," she said.

"I'd love to see a shift towards quality over quantity, where brands are more interested in working with people who are passionate about what they do, helping their audience in their given field and promoting a positive message."

Ms Saward did add that getting more likes was considered an important aspect in building a prominent Instagram following.

"They [companies] want to know how many followers you have, how much reach you have and who those audience numbers are," she said.

"I can understand the importance in this from a marketing perspective where there needs to be a justification for investment."

Ms Saward said she could see only positive implications for the social media landscape as a result of Instagram removing like numbers.

"A few years ago I opened my bakery [Charlie's Dessert House] as an exit plan from Instagram when the industry was becoming increasingly saturated," she said.

"I still love travelling, so I have carried on using the platform and creating travel content, but I refuse to post images of what will get more likes: by being in a bikini, wearing dramatic outfits or displaying an unrealistic image of travel."

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