Meta intervenes after flood of violent videos on Instagram

On Wednesday, more videos with depictions of violence and adult content suddenly appeared on Instagram. Users referred to several sensitive or problematic videos in a row that were shown to them on Instagram as so-called reels. However, as the operator of Instagram, Meta Platforms reacted quickly and apparently intervened to correct the algorithm that automatically selects the videos shown on Instagram.

The flood of violent videos on Instagram is unusual because Meta has relatively strict guidelines on violent and drastic content. There is now speculation that Instagram has gone a little too far in opening up to more content, including controversial content. At the beginning of January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a change of direction for content moderation on the meta platforms. He wanted to "return to the roots of free speech on Facebook and Instagram".

Curbing the flood of violent videos on Instagram

Now the algorithm has apparently been changed and many violent videos have been played. Various users have documented this on social networks and expressed concern about the large number of recommendations with violent content that is not suitable for the workplace. One user wrote about six violent videos in a row in the Reels feed on Instagram. A corresponding warning precedes some videos. Some users were shown the videos even though they had set the settings for sensitive content to the highest restriction.

However, this has now been corrected. "We've fixed a bug that caused some users to see content in their Instagram Reels feed that should not be recommended," Meta told CNBC in a statement. "We apologize for the error." The company has so far failed to provide further details or an explanation for the flood of violent videos.

What Meta does and does not allow

Meta has detailed guidelines on violent and drastic content, which describe relatively precisely what types of content users should be protected from. This includes "content that is particularly violent, such as videos showing mutilation, visible entrails or charred corpses". However, some depictions of violence are permitted if they are in the "context of discussions about important issues such as human rights violations, armed conflicts or acts of terrorism". This should help to better understand or assess such situations.

However, the videos that have been played frequently this week are apparently not related to specific topics of this kind. The automatically displayed videos showed brawls or violent attacks on the street and people with bleeding wounds. Others scrolled through a large number of warnings about sensitive content in the Instagram reels. However, Meta has apparently fixed this meanwhile so that it is no longer visible.

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