brand safety

Instagram, owned by Meta, is facing backlash for its algorithm that serves inappropriate content, including child-sexualizing reels, to followers of teen influencers. The Wall Street Journal revealed that the platform has been showing risqué and sexual adult videos to accounts associated with young gymnasts and cheerleaders. The experiment also found that the inappropriate content was accompanied by ads from prominent brands. Meta’s response to the issue has raised concerns among advertisers who are now more cautious about the placement of their ads. Current and former Meta employees have acknowledged the internal knowledge of the issue, and suggested that revamping the algorithm is necessary. However, internal documents suggest that Meta prioritizes traffic performance, making it challenging for the safety team to implement significant changes.