Instagram Recommends Adult Content, Including Reels, to 13-Year-Olds Despite Meta's Promises

Jun 20, 2024, 11:29 AM

Tests conducted over seven months have revealed that Instagram has been recommending adult-oriented content, including sexual videos and Reels, to accounts listed as 13 years old. This discovery comes despite Meta Platforms' commitment to providing an 'age-appropriate' experience for teens. The Wall Street Journal, which conducted the tests alongside a researcher, found that Instagram consistently pushed such content to minors within 3 minutes of account creation. Meta Platforms responded by stating that the experiment was artificial and did not reflect how teens use Instagram. The tests also indicated that other social media platforms like Snapchat and TikTok did not produce the same sexualized content for similar age groups.