INSTAGRAM flagged explicit messages to minors in 2018, with image-blurring only arriving roughly six years later.
According to newly unsealed court documents, internal emails showed Meta executives were aware that adults could find and message minors on the platform, and one boss described messages as including “tier 2 sexual harassment, like dudes sending dick pics to everyone” and “tier 1 cases where they end up doing horrible damage.” The tool now used to address the problem is a client-side classifier that automatically blurs explicit images sent to teens in direct messages, but it was not rolled out until September 2024.
The deposition, unsealed in a multidistrict litigation case docketed as MDL No. 3047 (Case No. 4:22-md-03047-YGR), notes that hundreds of families allege platforms like Instagram were designed to maximise screen time at the expense of young users’ well-being, and Mosseri confirmed an internal estimate of around 200,000 daily child users experiencing inappropriate interactions. The case also highlights other safety measures and criticisms about the pace of changes, including debates over teen accounts and privacy defaults.