Instagram Pushing Eating Disorder Content On Kids, Claims Shocking Report
A shocking new report has revealed that Instagram is actively promoting content related to extreme dieting and eating disorders to children as young as nine. The news comes several months after the company admitted that there was a problem related to such content on the platform. The admission came following an investigation by Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, whose staff found that the platform was recommending dangerous pro-anorexia content to an account purported to be that of a minor. The company later removed the extreme dieting accounts mentioned in the Senator's complaint, apparently for breaking its policies against encouraging eating disorders.
Having started as a simple photo-sharing app almost a decade ago, Instagram has developed into a full-fledged social media platform, and one that has around two billion total users and one billion monthly active users, as of December 2021. However, with its growing popularity, the platform has also faced several controversies, including reports on how it has made body image issues worse for teens and young women. It was also called out by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration last year for not doing enough to end the flourishing marketplace for illegal drugs on the platform. There have also been reports detailing how content about suicide and self-harm flourish on the platform unabated.
Related: How To Tag Friends On Instagram Before (And After) Posting A Photo Or Video
A new report by a children's rights advocacy group has claimed that Instagram's recommendation algorithms push pro-anorexia and eating disorder-related content to nearly 20 million users, including children under the age of thirteen. The report, which comes from nonprofit organization
Read more on screenrant.com
