Likes, which appear as hearts on Instagram, are often used as a measure of popularity, leading some users to tie them to their self-esteem.
"The recent change to likes is a great thing," said 27-year-old Chris Grundy, a freelance photographer who lives in Sydney, Australia.
Other users said the test falls flat because people can still see how many likes their own post gets.
But the move to hide likes could encourage users to post more "authentic" content without being concerned about how many likes it gets.
"Likes is one part of it, but I don't think it's the cure to curing the culture around Instagram," she added.