Meta faces lawsuits over nudity on Instagram

Nearly 19 per cent of Instagram users aged 13 to 15 said they had seen nude or sexual images they did not wish to encounter on the platform, according to court documents released in a federal lawsuit in California. The filings include part of testimony given in March 2025 by Instagram chief executive Adam Mosseri. The figures stem from an internal survey conducted in 2021.

A separate document from the same proceedings shows that a Meta researcher recommended targeting teenagers as early as 2021. He described them as ‘catalysts’ within families, influencing the app use of younger siblings and parents.

Meta has long faced criticism that its products may harm the mental health of minors. The company is now confronting thousands of lawsuits in the United States.

It maintains that explicit material is primarily shared via private messages, where privacy protections must be observed. At the end of 2025, Meta also announced stricter rules on the removal of nudity, including content generated by artificial intelligence.

(reuters, pir)