Instagram is introducing significant algorithm changes to enhance child safety, specifically targeting accounts that primarily feature images of children but are managed by adults. These changes aim to prevent potentially suspicious adults from accessing such accounts.
This update follows a 2023 lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram transformed into a “marketplace for predators,” facilitating the search, and sale of, and sale of child sexual abuse material. Concurrently, a 2023 Wall Street Journal investigation revealed Instagram’s algorithms were promoting pedophile networks.
Meta has since introduced various online safety features for users under 18 on Facebook and Instagram. These protections are now being extended to adults who frequently post images of children, a group Meta states often includes parents and talent managers. Instagram will now “avoid recommending” such accounts to suspicious adults, including those previously blocked by teenagers, thereby preventing suspected predators from being directed to adult-run accounts featuring children. The platform will also hide comments from potentially suspicious adults on these posts and make it more difficult for both types of accounts to find each other via Search.
While Meta asserts that these adult-managed accounts are “overwhelmingly used in benign ways,” the company has faced accusations of knowingly permitting parents who sexually exploit their children for financial gain to remain on its platforms. This initiative to hide potential predators from adult accounts featuring children builds upon a previous Meta update that prohibited accounts heavily featuring children from offering subscriptions or receiving gifts.
In the coming months, other safety features for teen accounts featuring children will automatically default to Instagram’s strictest message settings and filter offensive and inappropriate comments. Additional safety features are being rolled out to Instagram DMs, offering teen accounts a combined report and block option. Furthermore, teen users will now be able to see the month and year an account they are messaging joined Instagram, aiding them in identifying potential predators and scammers.
