Instagram dangerous for teens: New investigation proves
Instagram shows violent videos to kids (photo: Getty Images)
At the end of 2024, Meta launched "Instagram Teen Accounts" with a loud promise — special accounts for teenagers designed to protect young users from harmful content and unwanted interactions. These accounts were supposed to be private by default, filter offensive language, and block messages from strangers. The company also implemented age recognition technologies to enhance user protection. However, a recent independent investigation by a youth advocacy group revealed that the promised "protective barrier" isn't working.
80% of teens feel anxiety on Instagram
Over two weeks, five test accounts were created to mimic teenage users. All of them regularly received sexualized and inappropriate content.
Explicit posts were displayed in the Instagram feed even with the sensitive content filter activated. Four out of five accounts encountered content related to eating disorders, appearance idealization, and body shaming.
"Approximately 80% of the content in my feed was related to relationships or crude sex jokes. This content generally stayed away from being absolutely explicit or showing directly graphic imagery, but also left very little to the imagination," said one of the teen testers.
According to the 26-page report, 55% of the flagged content involved sexual acts, behavior, or imagery. One video garnered over 3.3 million likes.
More than 55% of the content was sex-related; the rest was related to body image, aggression, and destructive themes (photo: Accountable Tech)
Algorithm pushes harmful ideals
In addition to sexualized material, Instagram actively exposed teens to videos promoting alcohol, steroid use, body shaming, and racist, homophobic, and misogynistic content. Some accounts didn't even receive the basic protection from inappropriate comments and content.
This isn't the first time Meta has been at the center of controversy. In 2021, leaked internal documents revealed that the company was aware of Instagram's negative impact on teens' mental health, especially among girls.
How frequently children encountered harmful content despite restrictions (photo: Accountable Tech)
Meta denies all allegations
In a comment to "The Washington Post", Meta representatives called the report "manipulative" and said it simplifies a complex issue. The company emphasized that millions of teens use Instagram today in a safer environment, but promised to review the situation regarding content recommendations. A month ago, similar "protection features" were extended to Facebook and Messenger.
Sources: Digital Trends, research by Design It For Us, and Accountable Tech.
