Mark Zuckerberg's Instagram Faces A Troubling Turn Over Sexualized Content Of Minors

Instagram, a social media platform owned by Meta Platforms Inc. META, has been facing major backlash over practices surrounding its suggested content.

What Happened: On Monday, the Wall Street Journal exposed the alarming practices of Instagram suggesting sexualized content of minors to adult users via Instagram’s Reels. This was further confirmed by a similar test run by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, reported Business Insider. 

This report comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed against Meta by 33 states earlier this fall, accusing the company of ignoring warnings about potential harm to young girls and not shutting down millions of underage accounts.

See Also: WhatsApp Now Lets You Login With Your Email Address: Here’s How It Works

Meta has responded to the scandal, stating their commitment to stopping such content from appearing on their platforms, but the fallout continues as major advertisers like Match and Bumble are said to be pulling their ads from Instagram.

Why It Matters: Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has long made public statements about its policy against explicit content. The company's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, had previously stated in a chat with Joe Rogan that “Pornography is a thing that we don’t allow.” 

However, the recent controversy surrounding Instagram’s suggested content has raised serious questions about the enforcement of these policies.

This isn’t the first time Meta’s platforms have been linked with explicit content. 

Just earlier this month, it was reported that there was an increase in NSFW malware attacks on Facebook, Meta’s other social media platform. These attacks lured users with explicit content, only to infect their systems with data-stealing malware. 

A Meta whistleblower publicly criticized the company's handling of teen safety issues on Instagram earlier this year. 

Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash

Check out more of Benzinga's Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Meta Launches Special Bonus Program To Boost Instagram Creators’ Earnings

This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.