NEW DELHI – The Indian government has directed Meta to immediately remove advertisements and content on Instagram that promote or facilitate child sexual abuse material, following concerns over the presence of such content on the platform. A senior official from India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said the government has also demanded that Meta…
Instagram and its parent company Meta have launched an investigation into AI-generated profiles on the platform that appear to sexualise disabled people. The move follows an investigation by the BBC, which identified dozens of accounts posting artificial images and videos of women portrayed with disabilities, including Down’s syndrome and vitiligo. Many of the images depict…
A high-profile trial examining the impact of social media on young people’s mental health has opened in California, with lawyers accusing the owners of Instagram and YouTube of deliberately designing platforms that encourage compulsive use among children. The case, which began on Monday before a Los Angeles Superior Court judge and jury, centres on claims…
Meta Platforms is preparing to trial paid subscription options across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, marking its latest push to expand revenue beyond advertising. The technology company said the proposed subscriptions, expected to roll out for testing in the coming months, would offer users access to additional features, including enhanced artificial intelligence tools. Core functions of…
Instagram Reels has grown from a rapid response to TikTok’s rise into one of Meta’s most valuable businesses, with the short-form video product now generating an annual revenue run rate of more than $50bn, according to the company. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg disclosed the figure during the company’s October earnings call, noting that Reels…
Meta has begun removing Australian users under the age of 16 from Instagram, Facebook and Threads, days before the country’s groundbreaking social media age ban takes effect. The tech company started notifying affected users last month, warning that accounts belonging to 13- to 15-year-olds would be deactivated from 4 December. Government estimates suggest around 150,000…
Instagram, Facebook and Threads have begun alerting young Australian users that their accounts will soon be deactivated, as the country prepares to enforce a sweeping ban on social media use for anyone under 16. Meta, the parent company of the three platforms, confirmed it has started sending texts, emails and in-app notifications to users it…
Instagram is set to roll out new parental controls that will allow parents to stop teenagers from chatting with the app’s AI characters, its parent company Meta announced on Friday. The feature, expected to launch early next year, will let parents completely disable teens’ access to AI chat features or selectively block certain AI characters….
Meta will soon begin offering Facebook and Instagram users in the UK the option to pay for an ad-free experience, marking a significant shift in how the social media giant operates in the country. The company confirmed on Friday that UK users will be notified in the coming weeks of the new subscription option, which…
For years, 26-year-old Yassmine Boussihmed poured her heart into building her boutique dress brand online. Her Instagram page was more than a storefront – it was a community. Then, one morning in April, it was gone. Without warning, her account was shut down, accused of breaking Meta’s integrity rules. More than 5,000 followers vanished. So…
Meta has announced a new wave of teen safety initiatives on its platforms, alongside a major crackdown on accounts linked to inappropriate interactions with minors. The tech giant, which owns Instagram and Facebook, revealed that it has taken down more than 635,000 accounts involved in sexualised or predatory behaviour toward children. Of the accounts removed,…
Social media giant Meta is considering halting its operations in Nigeria after being hit with nearly $300 million in fines by multiple regulatory bodies in the country. The penalties stem from allegations of regulatory violations, including issues related to consumer protection, advertising compliance, and data privacy. Meta has described the fines as “unrealistic” and warned…
Instagram has introduced a new feature called Blend, aimed at reshaping how users engage with Reels by offering a shared, personalized content stream within direct messages or group chats. Rather than the traditional method of sending Reels back and forth individually, Blend allows friends to access a joint feed of recommended Reels curated from their…
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week took the stand in a pivotal antitrust trial brought against the company by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), defending Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The case could determine whether Meta will be forced to separate from the two platforms, which regulators argue were acquired to neutralize competition….
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg returned to the witness stand on Tuesday for a second day in a high-stakes antitrust trial in Washington, where U.S. regulators are seeking to unwind his company’s past acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The case, brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), alleges that Meta—formerly Facebook—acquired the two platforms in a…
Meta has issued an apology after a technical glitch led to Instagram Reels recommending violent and graphic content to users. In a statement, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that the issue had been fixed, acknowledging that some users were shown inappropriate content that should not have appeared in their feeds. “We apologize for the mistake,” the…
Instagram is unveiling a series of updates seemingly designed to draw in TikTok users as uncertainty looms over the future of the popular short-video app. The changes, announced by Instagram and parent company Meta over the weekend, include new features that closely resemble TikTok’s format and tools. On Sunday, Meta introduced a video creation app…
Meta has announced that it is close to resolving a significant technical issue causing widespread outages on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company acknowledged the disruption on Wednesday, stating, “We’re aware that a technical issue is impacting some users’ ability to access our apps. We’re working to get things back to normal…
Instagram has rolled out new safety features designed to curb sextortion, a rising form of online exploitation where scammers trick users, often teens, into sharing intimate images before blackmailing them. As part of its efforts, Instagram will now prevent users from taking screenshots or screen recordings of “view once” images and videos, adding a layer…
Instagram has announced significant changes aimed at increasing the safety of its teenage users, automatically converting millions of accounts into private profiles under new “teen account” settings. The update, revealed on Tuesday, marks Instagram’s most comprehensive effort to date in protecting young users from harmful content and interactions on the platform. The changes come nearly…
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is venturing into the realm of social media once again with the testing of its latest app, “Whee.” This move comes amidst ongoing regulatory scrutiny and potential bans on TikTok in various countries. Whee, described by many as a direct competitor to Instagram, offers a private photo-sharing experience akin…
Legendary rapper André 3000 of OutKast fame has shed light on his reluctance to engage with social media, specifically addressing his presence on Instagram. During his appearance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, André 3000 had a candid conversation with Meta’s Alvin Bowles. He explained that his Instagram account, which…
The European Union has initiated a formal investigation into Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over concerns that its platforms may be too addictive for children and fail to provide adequate protection. This move underscores the growing regulatory focus on the potential harms of social media on young users. The European Commission, the…
In a significant shift in consumer behaviour, Instagram and TikTok have emerged as the preferred platforms for local search among Gen Z, surpassing Google’s dominance in this demographic segment, according to a recent study by SOCi. While Google continues to maintain its stronghold in local search, particularly among older generations, SOCi’s findings underscore a growing…
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has taken action to remove the social media accounts belonging to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The decision to disable Khamenei’s accounts comes after Meta cited repeated violations of its Dangerous Organizations & Individuals policy. According to Meta, this policy prohibits the presence of organizations or…
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced plans to introduce technology capable of detecting and labelling images generated by external artificial intelligence (AI) tools on its platforms. Currently, Meta already labels AI-generated images produced by its own systems, but this new initiative aims to extend this labelling to images generated by other…
In response to the increasing demand for transparency in artificial intelligence, Meta has unveiled a range of tools and information designed to help users understand how AI influences the content they see on its apps. The social media giant has introduced nearly two dozen explainers that focus on various features of its platforms, including Instagram…
Nigerian Afrobeat superstar, David Adeleke, aka Davido, has the most valuable Instagram account in the country and second in Africa behind Egyptian footballer, Mohamed Salah. This was recently revealed in the Instagram Rich List by Hopper HQ. According to the list, Davido has the 61st most valuable Instagram account in the world. Hopper HQ stated…
On Sunday, Meta Platform Inc’s Instagram experienced a technical issue that disrupted services for thousands of users. However, the company announced that the platform was back up and running for most users after resolving the problem. According to a spokesperson from Meta, “Earlier today, a technical issue caused some people to have trouble accessing Instagram….
Meta is testing a subscription service which will allow Instagram and Facebook users to pay to get verified, Mark Zuckerberg announced on Instagram. “Meta Verified” will start at $11.99 a month on the web or $14.99 a month on iOS, and the company will begin releasing it in Australia and New Zealand this week and…
While people around the globe were watching a thrilling FIFA World Cup final, Twitter decided to drop a bombshell and banned links promoting other social networks. The list currently includes Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, Tribel, Nostr, and Post. Plus, link-in-bio tools like Linktree and Lnk.Bio are also banned — these services are commonly used…
Social media giant, Instagram has announced that it will be pausing the rollout of new features on its app following backlash online from users, influencers and celebrities. Among the new features was an increase in recommended video content, in a similar style that rivals TikTok, as reported by BBC. The display and feeds were criticised…
