Instagram Under Fire for Recommending Sexual Videos to 13-Year-Old Accounts, Tests Reveal
Tests show that Instagram suggests sexual videos to 13-year-old accounts. The test results contradict Meta Platforms' assertions that it provides an age-appropriate experience for teenagers. Similar experiments on Snapchat and TikTok did not yield the same sexualized content for minor users.
The studies, which lasted seven months, revealed that Instagram continues to push adult-oriented content to kids, despite Meta's claims to provide a more age-appropriate experience.
The experiments comprised creating new profiles with ages listed as 13 and watching Instagram's curated video stream, Reels. From the start, the accounts were served moderately racy content, including videos of women dancing seductively or posing in suggestive positions. When the accounts skipped past other clips but watched the racy videos to completion, Reels recommended even more explicit content.
Shockingly, adult sex-content creators began appearing in the feeds of these underage accounts in as little as three minutes. Within 20 minutes of watching Reels, the test accounts' feeds were dominated by promotions from these creators, some even offering to send nude photos to users who engaged with their posts.
In contrast, similar tests conducted on the short-video products of Snapchat and TikTok did not produce the same sexualised content for underage users. This raises concerns about Instagram's failure to protect young users from explicit material.
Meta Platforms dismissed the test findings as unrepresentative of teens' overall experience on Instagram, calling the experiment artificial. However, internal tests and analysis conducted by Meta employees have identified similar problems, indicating that the company is aware of the issue.
The tests also revealed that Instagram shows more pornography, gore, and hate speech to young users than to adults. Teens reported experiencing bullying, aggression, and unwanted nudity at a higher rate than older users. Meta's automated attempts to keep such content from being served to teenagers were shown to be useless.
While Meta claims to be attempting to reduce the amount of sensitive content seen by teenagers, the tests indicate that more needs to be done. The study indicates that creating a separate recommendation system for teenagers may be the most effective approach to prevent inappropriate content from being offered to underage users.
Senior executives, including Instagram's Adam Mosseri, have expressed worry about the disproportionate presentation of adult imagery and other illegal material to children. It remains to be seen whether Meta's efforts to remedy these issues will be successful.
Tests reveal that Instagram recommends sexual videos to 13-year-old accounts.
Meta Platforms' claims of providing an age-appropriate experience for teens are contradicted by the test findings.
Similar tests on Snapchat and TikTok did not produce the same sexualised content for underage users.
Source: YAHOO